Accidents Happen
by FastTalker
Summary: An accident brings old friends back together. Will Rory be okay? Will Jess be able to help her? Will they have a second chance?
1. Message Delivered and Received

_Based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter One Message Delivered & Received**

"She was in an accident," Luke explained, quietly hissing into the telephone. He was afraid Lorelai would hear him and wake up. He was on his cell and standing in a hallway.

"What do you mean an accident?" Jess asked, stunned. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"She was being Rory! She saw a dog that had been hit by a car on the side of the road and she stopped to check on it. She was on the phone with Lorelai to find out Paul Anka's vet's number when she was hit."

"She was hit? By a car?"

"It was a hit and run," Luke tried to explain. It was so hard because he didn't know much. "Lorelai heard the accident over the phone, so the police, ambulance, fire department, and National Guard showed up within minutes of the accident."

"Where is she? How is she? Where's Rory?"

"She's in the hospital – in Hartford. She's in ICU. She's unconscious – in a semicoma according to the doctors. She keeps talking, mumbling gibberish mostly, but she's more coherent when her grandfather is reading to her and while Lorelai is eating around her. The last couple days, she's been talking more clearly and she keeps saying your name."

"My name?"

"Yeah, Jess. She's calling for you."

"Why? Why me? Why now? What about her boyfriend, Logan or something, right? That ass – what about him?"

"They broke up."

"What?"

"At Rory's graduation party, he proposed. She told him no and he wouldn't take no for an answer. He left. He moved to San Francisco."

"Really? That sucks."

"You sound so broken up about it. Now, listen to me carefully, Jess," Luke said in his serious business voice that always got Jess' attitude up. "You will take some time off work and you will get into that hunk of scrap metal you call a car and you will drive your ass to Hartford and you will come and talk to Rory."

"I don't know," Jess started, but Luke cut him off.

"Jess, I know you as well as I know myself. You still love Rory."

"That doesn't matter anymore."

"Is there someone else?" Luke asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Jess replied adamantly.

"Then what?"

"She doesn't love me."

"She keeps asking for you," Luke told him. "She hasn't responded to me, Lorelai, her grandmother, her dad – anyone. She wants you, Jess."

"She can't."

"She can and she does. Jess – come home."

"Okay, so I come home and then she wakes up. What happens then? I'm back to being the ex-boyfriend in Philly? I've done that already and it's not my favorite gig, if you know what I mean."

"Lorelai and I are back together. Anything can happen."

"When?"

"About a month ago, right before Rory's accident."

"A month?" Jess yelled. "She's been unconscious and in the hospital for a month and you're just telling me now?"

"Things were happening here that had to be taken care of."

"I need to finish up my shift here tonight. I'll get on the road first thing in the morning."

"She's at Hartford Hospital in Room 213. We'll be in the family room at the end of the hall. Lorelai's completely relocated there. She hasn't left the hospital since Rory was admitted."

"I'll keep in touch, Luke. She'll be okay."

"She better be."

Jess sat in stunned silence for minutes that quickly turned to hours. He was in shock. Rory, his perfect Rory, hurt, injured, broken, probably confused that thinking God-knows what.

In a semicoma: what the hell was a semicoma, anyway? The way he saw it, a person was either in a coma or not – none of this semicoma crap. He decided to Google it and, thanks to WebMD, he now knew that this wasn't an imaginary diagnosis.

Rory. She had been hit by a car. Rory Gilmore, a girl, no, a woman, who had never hurt anyone in her life was unconscious. She was probably really hurt – he kept thinking of questions he should have asked Luke when they were on the phone.

He did what Rory always did – a habit he picked up from her, one of many – and he made a list. He started jotting down questions for Luke and Lorelai and the doctors. On another sheet of paper, he started listing books and CDs to pack. He got on the phone with his partners at the publishing house and explained the situation.

"Man, do what you've gotta do."

Jess took the advice he'd been given and he ran with it. He threw his stuff into his trusty Army surplus green duffle and packed a box full of books, notebooks, CDs, and journals. Lugging the box and carrying his duffle over his shoulder, Jess made his way six blocks from his apartment to the parking lot where he kept his car. After a quick stop at the ATM and then at the gas station for fuel for the car and himself, he hopped on the highway northward bound: to Connecticut, his past and, with any luck, his future.

He drove straight through, stopping only once for something to eat and to use the bathroom.

When he arrived in Hartford, Jess went straight to the hospital to see Rory. He parked and entered the hospital from the opposite end from Rory's room, so he walked for what seemed like miles before he found himself standing at a set of glass double doors leading to the ICU.

Jess froze. He couldn't walk through the doors. He was afraid of what he would see and how she would look. He wanted to see her how he saw her in his mind. Rory Gilmore, the most beautiful girl in the world with smooth, soft skin, dark brown hair, and huge blue eyes. He was scared. He didn't want to see her the way he expected to: bruised and cut skin, broken bones, and hooked up to tubes and machines.

"Jess," a voice called from behind him. "I didn't think you'd come."

"Lorelai, I'm so sorry," Jess said, turning to look at Lorelai. She looked exhausted, not the full of life woman he had always known. The stress of the past weeks showed on her face and in her voice.

She walked to him slowly and the faintest hint of a smile fluttered to her lips for the briefest of moments. She pulled him to her into what could only be described as a motherly hug.

"What the hell was that?" Jess asked when Lorelai pulled herself away.

"That was a relieved mother thankful that there is a new glimmer of hope."

"How is she doing?" Jess asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet, recovering from the open display of affection.

"Come on. You can see for yourself."


	2. Sleeping Beauty

_Thanks for all the great reviews…keep them coming! This story "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Two Sleeping Beauty**

Jess blindly followed Lorelai through the glass doors into the ICU. He felt as though he was in a daze, not quite sure where he was, how he got there, or why he was there. Then, reality came rushing back to him: an accident. Rory.

He heard the whirs and beeps of machines keeping people alive and felt what he could only describe as a lead weight fall into the pit of his stomach. One of those machines could be keeping Rory alive, too, he thought. He quickly pushed the thought from his mind, not wanting to think about her like that, but he couldn't keep the tears from coming to his eyes.

"You can't do that," Lorelai said firmly.

"What?"

"You can't cry. I won't allow it. If you cry, then I'll cry, and I can't cry."

"I'm not crying," Jess said, a little too defensively.

"Oh, okay. My mistake. Here," she said, stopping outside of a hospital room. "This is Rory's room."

"Here? Already?"

"Sorry, kid. It's now or never. What's it going to be?"

"Now or never?"

"Jess, you came. I didn't think you would, but I'm so glad that you did. Luke said you would, that you were just like him, but I didn't listen. I can be so stubborn sometimes – I'm trying to work on that. Anyway, you came, but that's only the first step. You need to go in there and try to wake her up."

"That's what Luke said. What happened to Rory, Lorelai? What's going on?"

"Go on in and see her for yourself. You can only stay in for 10 minutes though. Her doctor will be stopping by and needs to see her. I'll come in and get you before the doctor comes."

"Can I talk to him?"

"The doctor? Sure, you can talk to her," Lorelai said pointedly, a smile flashed on her lips for a split second. "Come on, tick tock. Go in there, Jess. Rory needs all the motivation she can get. I'll be right out here."

Jess took a deep breath and pushed the door to Rory's room open. He didn't know what to expect, but he was blown away by what he saw. He knew it had been Lorelai. No one else would transform a hospital room into the spitting image of Rory's bedroom from her home in Stars Hollow.

All her travel posters, her Yale memorabilia, framed photos of her friends and family, it was all there. Her bed was covered with real sheets, not hospital sheets. Stuffed animals and throw pillows were arranged on the small couch and chairs that were in one corner. And her books, they were everywhere. Jess knew that they couldn't all be there, but there was definitely a great selection of her favorites piled about.

On the rolling table next to her bed, there was a reading light and three books with bookmarks tucked carefully inside: _The Count of Monte Cristo_ by Alexandre Dumas, _On the Road_ by Jack Kerouac, and _The Subsect_ by Jess Mariano.

He couldn't help but smile at the fact that his little book was on that table surrounded by classic works of literature. He could hear Rory yelling at him in his mind for referring to his book as little. To him, while an amazing accomplishment, it was nothing like the other books that they read, reread, and discussed all those years ago.

Out of curiosity, he picked the copy of his book up, opening to the page where he assumed she had left off. A piece of paper fluttered to his feet. He bent to pick it up and saw a picture of them. He grinned. They looked so happy. Then he frowned, suddenly remembering that he had probably left Stars Hollow before that picture had been developed. He shook that memory from his head. He and Rory had already had it out about his leaving and now was not the time to revisit that. He flipped the picture over and slipped it back into place. As he did, he noticed that she had made notes in the margins, had underlined lines or words, and had questions posed for the author. He just shook his head in surprise at how much and yet how little had changed.

After acclimating himself to her room for a few minutes, he finally got up the courage to actually look at Rory. She was beautiful as always, but her beauty was peeking out from beneath a bandaged and left eye. She was hooked to a monitor, had oxygen tubes coming from her nose, IV tubes coming from her arm, and a tube coming from a catheter into a collection bag. There was a stitched cut closed with a butterfly bandage on her right cheek. Her right arm was in a cast as were both of her legs. He assumed her right leg was worse since it was in traction.

Aside from all that, she looked like a princess from a fairy tale, like Sleeping Beauty. Her hair was shorter than it had been when she came to see him in Philadelphia and he wondered when she had cut it. He liked it, though. Somehow, it suited her. It made her look older, more sophisticated.

He stepped toward Rory slowly. He carefully lowered himself into the chair that was positioned beside her bed and he perched on the edge. He reached out and took Rory's hand in his, holding it carefully in one hand while softly running his fingers over the back of her hand with the other.

She mumbled incoherently upon his touch.

"Rory? Rory, it's me. It's Jess. Rory, please, wake up. You have to wake up. There is so much we need to talk about and so much lost time we need to make up for. I need you, Rory. I need you to wake up."

Rory mumbled again, but she softly squeezed Jess' hand.

"Rory, can you hear me? Rory, if you can hear me, will you squeeze my hand again?"

Rory squeezed Jess' hand again and mumbled a bit louder and so Jess could hear what she said.

"You came."

"Oh, Rory. Of course I came. I just wish you just called and asked me to come. God, Rory, you need to wake up so that I can talk to you."

"Jess, the doctor's ready to see Rory," Lorelai told him from the door. "We've got to leave them alone for a little while."

"Just let me tell her what's going on," Jess said. "I'll be out in just a minute."

"Okay," Lorelai said. "Come meet me and Luke in the family room. It's right around the corner." She let the door close behind her on the way out.

"Rory, I will be back as soon as I can. I want to talk to you and tell you all about what has been going on with me and about the new things I'm doing at work. I brought some new stuff that I'm working on and I want your opinion. I know I haven't had be best track record with keeping my promises, but I really mean it. I'll be back soon. I promise."

Jess squeezed her hand gently and waited until he felt Rory squeeze his hand back in response before he let go. He stood and leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. Unable to help himself, he kissed her again, on the lips this time and he swore he felt him return his kiss.

"I love you, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore," Jess said before he left her room.

Before he met Luke and Lorelai, he needed some time to himself to collect his thoughts and make since of what was happening. He ducked into the men's room and locked himself inside a stall. He let the emotions from the past few hours out and he let the tears escape his eyes. He got himself under control and he splashed some cold water on his face and washed his hands before he left the restroom and found Luke and Lorelai.


	3. Filling in the Pieces

_Thanks for all the great reviews…keep them coming! This story "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Three Filling in the Pieces**

When Jess got to the family room, it was empty. It, like Rory's room, had been Gilmore-ized. The couches were covered with sheets, blankets, and pillows. The garbage can was full of take-out containers and there was a duffel bag full of Lorelai's clothes on the floor in one corner. Jess sat down on one chairs and buried his head in his hands. He managed to doze off a bit when he heard the door swing open.

"You made good time," Luke said.

"Yeah, I've been here for a while."

"I thought you were coming in the morning."

"I changed my mind."

"Where's Lorelai?" Luke asked Jess as he entered the family waiting room loaded down with bags of food from the diner.

"With Rory. The doctor's in there."

"Did you see her yet?"

"Yeah, I just left her."

"Did anything happen?" Luke asked. "Did she know you were there?"

"Yeah, I think she did. She said my name and mumbled a few things, she squeezed my hand and I think she kissed me back."

"So, you kissed her?"

"Yeah, I kissed her before I left and I think she kissed me back."

"You think she did? How do you not know? She either did or she didn't, Jess."

"Okay, she did. She kissed me back. There was movement and I felt her lips touching mine, not just mine touching hers, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Hungry? Want a burger?"

"Did you make it?"

"No, Caesar did."

"Good. I always liked his burgers better."

"You always were a pain in the ass."

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Luke started pushing Jess for information.

"Why did you come back, Jess?"

"Because you called me and told me about the accident."

"But why did you come back? You didn't have to come just because I told you about the accident. You made the choice to come. I just want to know why."

"She was asking for me and I want to know why. We've got history and I want us to have a future and her asking for me is a first step, anyway."

"When was the last time you talked to Rory?" Luke asked.

"Last year when she came to Philly for my reception. You know, you and April came as well. How is she, by the way?"

"April? She's good. She's staying with your mom right now, actually."

"My mom? Liz? You're trusting Liz with your daughter?"

"During most days, anyway. She's been here a few times, but seeing Rory like this upsets everyone. Plus, April loves playing with your baby sister."

"I totally forgot about Doula – I haven't even seen her yet. Is she getting big?"

"She's growing like a weed. Thankfully, she doesn't look a thing like TJ. She's actually pretty cute. I told Liz you'd probably be here for a while. You'll get the chance to see her, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I will. Luke, tell me what's going on. What happened this past year? What happened with you and Lorelai?"

"Well, Lorelai and I were engaged, you knew that. Then, when I found out about April, I freaked out. I needed some time to figure out what was going on, but I kept Lorelai in the dark and we split up. She married Christopher."

"Christopher? Wait, Rory's dad? That Christopher?"

"One in the same. So, they got married in Paris and they were actually married for a few months, but it didn't work. Apparently, Lorelai still loved me."

"Well, duh."

"Okay, but I didn't think she still loved me. She was so angry about April and everything, I figured she would never speak to me again. But, around the time Rory graduated, we started talking again and before either of us knew what was going on, we were back together. We were going to get married right away, but then this happened, so things are on hold again."

"What about Rory and Logan? What happened there?"

"No – what happened with you and Rory when she came to visit you in Philadelphia?"

"Why?"

"Jess, Rory was applying for jobs in Philadelphia. She was headed to a job interview when she got hurt. We think she was looking to move there."

"I had no idea."

"I figured as much. I didn't think you knew. Hell, Lorelai didn't even know. We only found out about it when Lorelai started looking through Rory's calendar a week ago. So, what happened when she visited you?"

"Not much, really. We talked, I kissed her, she told me that she was still with Logan and she left. End of story."

"More like the pause in the story," Lorelai said from the doorway. "They loved each other, but not in the same way. When he proposed, he was ready to settle down and have Rory be a wife, but Rory wasn't ready to be a wife. Rory needs to be Rory first and anything else second and I don't think Logan ever understood that. That's why she said no."

"And what happened when she said no?" Jess asked.

"Logan left. He had taken a job in San Francisco and he left."

"And her plan was to move to Philly?" he asked.

"You told him? Luke, how could you tell him?"

"He came for her, Lore. He dropped everything and came for Rory. She was looking for jobs to be close to where he is. I had to tell him!"

"Would you please stop talking like I'm not here? All of this stuff, it's between me and Rory. I'll find out what's going on when Rory wakes up. Until then, all this talk about Rory coming to Philadelphia needs to stop. I want her to tell me what she's thinking and why she wanted me to come here! Now, tell me what's going on with Rory? What did the doctor say?"

"She's okay. She's still not conscious, but she was a lot more responsive to the doctor tonight. You need to keep talking to her, Jess."

"It's helping?"

"Absolutely. Jess, you got more of a response from her in ten minutes than any of us have in a month. You're just what the doctor asked for, so to speak. No, you're just what Rory asked for."


	4. A Mother's Advice

_Thanks for the great reviews…keep them coming! This story "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Four A Mother's Advice **

Jess woke up in the middle of the night with a crick in his neck and to the sound of Luke's snore and the horrid stench of Luke's feet. He intended to check into a hotel the night before, but the last thing he remembered was sitting down on to rest his eyes. He put his feet up on the coffee table and that was it. Somewhere through the night, he got covered with a blanket, a motherly act that had Lorelai written all over it. It wasn't something he was used to, but he enjoyed it.

He crept out of the family room. With the lights from the hallway outside the family room, he could see that Luke and Lorelai were sacked out on the couches. The couches were pushed close together to give them enough room to sleep, but they were close enough together to share a blanket. He smiled at how happy they were and he was absolutely thrilled that Luke and Lorelai were finally together. They were meant to be together.

Jess stopped outside Rory's room and watched for a few minutes while a nurse was taking her vital signs. He left a quick note at the nurses' station that he would be back by mid-morning. He needed to get something to eat and wanted to take a shower and change his clothes. He debated checking into a hotel, but since Luke was obviously staying wherever Lorelai was, he didn't think he would mind if he used his shower.

On the ride from Hartford to Stars Hollow, Jess thought about what Lorelai and Luke had told him the day before. Rory was looking at jobs in Philadelphia. He couldn't believe that she was looking for a job where he worked and lived. She knew that he was there, so she must have had a plan. Rory Gilmore never did anything without making a pro-con list or without a detailed agenda. For her to even contemplate a move across the street, yet alone a move across state lines, meant that there had been at least days of serious pondering.

He pulled into a parking spot across the street from Luke's. Since it was so early, the diner wasn't open yet and Caesar was not even awake yet. He grabbed the spare key from above the door jam and let himself into the diner. It was amazing. Jess hadn't been back to Stars Hollow in three years and nothing had changed. He took the stairs two at a time up to the apartment, pulled the key from above that door jam and let himself in. He dumped his stuff on the bed, grabbed a clean t-shirt, boxers, and socks and headed to the bathroom and a hot shower. When he got out, he got dressed and set the alarm clock for seven o'clock so that he could get a little more sleep before heading back to the hospital.

He sacked out on Luke's bed. While he slept, he dreamed about Rory. He dreamed that she was in bed beside him. She was curled up in his arms and sleeping soundly. Her skin felt soft and smooth and she smelled like bacon and pancakes. When her hair turned into hash browns, he woke up and felt hungry. He realized that Caesar was downstairs with breakfast on the grill. He pulled himself out of bed, pulled on his Chuck Taylor sneakers and headed down to grab some food before he headed back to Hartford.

"Jess, what are you doing here?" Caesar asked. "What am I thinking? Of course! You're here to see Rory, right? How's she doing?"

"She's okay, I think. I'm going to bring some food up to the hospital. You know how Rory gets about pancakes. They might make her wake up!"

"I'll send you back with a whole batch. Come on, have a seat. What do you want to eat, Jess? Your usual?"

"Sure. And whatever you think is best for Luke and Lorelai, too."

"You got it, Jess."

"Oh, my God! Look at what the cat dragged in." Jess' stepfather, TJ, walked into the diner with a baby carrier.

"Hey, TJ. How's it going?"

"It's going okay. We're getting ready to visit some of the Fairs this season, you know, show off this little girl! Wait a minute, you haven't seen her yet, have you. Hey, Doula, it's time for you to meet your big brother, Jess."

TJ put the baby carrier down on a table and scooped her out. She was a tiny little thing with a lot of brown hair and big brown eyes.

"Jess, this is Doula. Here, hold her." TJ thrust the baby at him without giving him the opportunity to get out of it.

"Hi, Doula," Jess said uncomfortably. She was the first baby he had ever held. She was cute. Very cute. "I'm Jess."

"You're not going to hurt her, Jess," a voice called from the doorway. "I was wondering when Luke was going to get you to come to town."

"Hey," Jess said to his mother. His cousin, April, was standing beside her. "Hi, April. It's nice to see you again."

"Hi, Jess. How's Rory?"

"Yeah, Jess. Have you seen Rory yet?"

"She's okay, but she's still not awake yet."

"Luke and Lorelai have been so worried about her," Liz said. "I can't imagine how I would feel if something like that happened to you or Doula. Come here, let me hug the only two perfect things I've done in my life." Jess crossed the diner and let his mother hug him. When she let him go, he handed Doula to her.

"How long are you in town?"

"Indefinitely," Jess said. "I need to make sure Rory's okay. We've got some things to sort out."

"What's there to sort out?" TJ asked. "You love Rory, just like how I love your mom and how Luke loves Lorelai."

"It's not that simple, TJ," Jess said. "But, boy, do I wish it was."

"It is, Jess. Why don't you think it's that easy?" Liz asked. "I haven't been the best mother to you. I know that and I'm sorry. You don't have any reason to trust me or to listen to me, but I think in this case, you should listen to me and take my advice. I know that I don't have the best track record with relationships. The one thing I did wrong was that I did not trust myself. I knew, deep down, that I wasn't really happy until I met TJ. Jess, I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy, Jess, and I think that you will be happy with Rory."

Jess pulled his mother into a big hug. "Thanks, Mom," Jess said. "Thanks so much."

"Hey, Jess, you're breakfast's up," Caesar called from the kitchen. "I'll get the pancakes ready to go when you're done eating."

"Hey, Liz, we need to get back," TJ said. "Nice to see you, Jess," he said.

"I want to see you before you head back," Liz said, kissing her son on his head, smoothing his hair. "Tell Rory that we're pulling for her."

About a half hour later, Jess was back on the road to Hartford. He was loaded down with enough breakfast food to feed an army, or at least Lorelai. When he got to the hospital, he dropped the food off in the family room. Lorelai and Luke were still sleeping. Instead of waking them up, he slipped out to see Rory.

Jess sat down beside Rory. He pulled the chair up close to her and held her hand.

"Hi, Rory. I'm back," Jess told her.

"Jess," Rory mumbled and there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

"I went to Luke's to shower and stuff and had breakfast. I brought back some pancakes for you. Caesar made them, but he did put chocolate chips in them just for you. I never realize how much I miss Stars Hollow until I come back. That has to stay between you and me, though. If I hear anything about his on the street, I know where it came from!"

"Pancakes," Rory said as clear as a bell.

"I saw Doula and talked to my mom. She's really cute: Doula, not my mom. I saw April, too. She's apparently been staying with my mom, so you need to wake up and get out of the hospital so that April can get back to staying with Luke. You need to wake up so that your mom and Luke can finally get married."

"Married?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, Luke told me that he and your mom are going to get married. But, Rory, you need to wake up first."

"I'm so tired," Rory said. She was now speaking in complete sentences.

"I know Rory, but you've been sleeping for a month. You need to wake up so that I can talk to you.

"Jess," Rory said, starting to sound stronger.

All of a sudden, the monitor started to whir louder and began beeping. Two nurses ran in and kicked Jess out.

"Rory? Rory! What's going on? What's happening? Oh, my God, Rory!"


	5. The Awakening

_Thanks for the great reviews…keep them coming! This story "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Five The Awakening **

"She's waking up," Lorelai said excitedly. "She responsive, she's talking to the doctor and nurses. She's waking up!"

"All that beeping was good?" Jess asked, stunned.

"The beeping was very good. Jess, you did this. Thank you. Thank you so much! I've got a lot of phone calls to make. I've got to tell everyone that Rory's going to be okay."

"I'm going to hang out here for a while," Jess said. He wanted to make sure Rory was okay with his own eyes. He needed to really see her and he needed her to see him. He had no idea if Rory would remember anything that he said to her and he wondered if she would be pleased to see him.

"You can go in and see her now," the nurse said with a smile. "She's been asking for you."

"She is?"

"Yes, Jess, she's asking for you. Go on in."

"Yeah, thanks." Jess paced around the hallway for a few minutes before he got up the courage to knock on the door.

"Come in," a familiar but weak voice called.

Rory's face lit up when she saw Jess peek around the door.

"Jess!" she exclaimed with obvious enthusiasm. "You're here!"

"Yeah, I'm here. I've been here for a couple of days. How are you doing? How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, I guess. I feel out of it. I'm confused. I've missed a lot."

"You've missed a month. Rory, I'm so happy to see you – the real you. You're awake. You're talking. You're wonderful!"

"I thought I dreamed you."

"What?"

"You. While I was out of it, I heard you. I saw you, sort of. I tried to talk to you, but I don't think it worked. You couldn't hear me, so I thought I was dreaming you, but you're here. You're really here."

"Yeah, I'm really here."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you here, Jess?"

"Because Luke called me. You were asking for me, Rory, and Luke called and asked me to come and I did."

"I was asking for you? Jess, I've been out of it. I wasn't really in the frame of mind to ask for anything."

"You were asking for me, Rory. Nothing else seemed to work to wake you up, so Luke called me."

"Luke called you? And you came? Why?"

"I came, Rory, but a better question is why were you asking for me?"

"I've been thinking about you lately, Jess," Rory admitted quietly.

"Why?"

"Why? Why not? And you came just because Luke asked you to come? Since when did you start doing what was asked of you? That doesn't sound like the Jess Mariano I know."

"Look, Rory," Jess started, but he was interrupted by Lorelai and Luke as they burst into the room.

"Rory! Oh, Rory, baby, you're awake! Honey, I'm so happy that you're finally awake!" Lorelai sat on the bed beside Rory and hugged her tightly.

"Mom, I'm so happy that you're happy, but you're going to have to forgive me. I'm very confused about what's going on, but I'm awake now and happy that you're all here. So, fill me in: what have I missed?"

"Hon, we're going to take this one step at a time. A lot has happened, and I promise you'll be filled in on everything. But first, you need to talk to a police detective."

"The police? Why do I have to talk to the police?"

"Rory, sweetie, do you know why are you in the hospital?"

"I don't know. I don't really remember."

"No, sweetie. You were hit by a car."

"What? I was hit by a car? How? What happened?"

"We don't know, honey. You were by yourself. What do you remember?"

"I don't know. I don't think I remember anything."

"The police detective will help you remember, sweetie. Just think, okay."

"It's all so fuzzy," Rory said. "I don't think I remember anything. Wait a second. A dog. I remember a dog."

"Yeah, there was a dog."

"What dog? Paul Anka?"

"No, no, Paul Anka's fine. He misses you, but he's fine.

"Then what dog?"

"I don't know, hon. You called me and told me that there was a dog that had been hit by a car. You stopped to check on him and called me to get the phone number for a vet. I heard this horrible noise and you scream and then the phone went dead."

"Oh, my God! I was hit by a car?"

"Yeah, sweetie, you were."

"What car?"

"We don't know. It was a hit and run," Lorelai tried to explain. "Whoever hit you didn't stop. That's why the police want to talk to you. They want to see if you remember anything about the accident."

"But I don't remember anything!"

"Honey, that's okay. It'll all be okay." Lorelai hugged her daughter close to her and rocked her like she did when she was a little girl.

"Why don't we leave the girls alone," Luke suggested to Jess, practically reading his mind.

"You don't have to leave," Rory said. Her eyes pleaded with Jess to stay with her.

"We'll be back. Do you want anything? A newspaper? Ice cream?"

"Sure," Rory said, her smile weak. "So, I'll see you later?"

"Of course," Jess said, smiling. He ignored the fact that Lorelai and Luke were in there and he crossed the room and, without thinking, he kissed Rory softly on the lips. "Bye."

Luke stared at Lorelai in stunned silence before he followed Jess from the room.

"What the hell was that?" Lorelai asked Rory, who blushed slightly before an uncontrollable grin spread across her lips. She brought her fingertips to her lips and touched where Jess had just kissed her.

"Mom, I have no idea."


	6. All in the Families

_Thanks for the great reviews…keep them coming! This story "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Six All in the Families**

"What the hell was that, Jess?" Luke asked Jess after they left Rory's room and were out of earshot.

"What the hell was what?" Jess asked, following Luke into the family room.

"Don't you play dumb with me, Jess Mariano. You know damn well that I am talking about that kiss. You kissed Rory? You kissed Rory!"

"So what?"

"So what?" Luke asked, annoyed. "So what!"

"What are you, Luke, a mockingbird? Yeah, so what. I kissed Rory. Big deal."

"It's a huge deal! That kiss wasn't nothing. You didn't just kiss Rory, Jess. You kissed Rory in front of Lorelai! That action spoke volumes. Do you know what you're doing?"

"Damn it, I don't care, Luke! No, that's not it. I do care. I care that I kissed Rory, but I don't care who saw me or what Lorelai might think. I only care about what Rory thinks. This is just going to be between me and Rory. We were talking before and then you and Lorelai came in and I didn't want Rory to forget about what was going on."

"What was going on?" Luke asked.

"I was just starting to tell her how I feel about her. I was going to tell her why I came back. I was going to tell her that I want a second chance. I want chance for us to start over, but the only way I'm going to get that chance is if I can talk to Rory!"

"So, you've been thinking about this a lot," Luke said, smiling.

"I love her, Luke. I feel like I've loved her forever. I've never stopped loving her. And now that Logan is out of the picture, I've got a second chance with her."

"Boy, do I know how that feels," Luke said, smiling. "Substitute Christopher for Logan and you've got me and Lorelai. You've got to do what you got to do, Jess."

"I just need to talk to Rory. I need Rory to talk to me. We need some time together to figure this all out."

"Lorelai Gilmore, where is she? Where's Rory?" Emily Gilmore demanded of her daughter. The Gilmores were coming off the elevator as Lorelai stepped out of the ladies' room in the lobby. "You were so cryptic on the phone. What happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's great, actually. She woke up, Mom, which is exactly what I told you on the phone. How is that cryptic?"

"You most certainly did not tell me she woke up."

"Mom, I'm not going to argue with you about this. Rory is awake now and that's all that matters. She doesn't remember much about the time right before the accident or anything about the accident itself, but she's awake and she's going to be okay."

"She has amnesia?" Richard asked. He had been standing quietly to the side.

"Something like that, I guess," Lorelai said. "She doesn't remember the day of the accident, but she remembers everything else."

"Where is she now?"

"She's in her room."

"What have the doctors said?"

"They're planning on keeping her in the ICU for a day or two before they move her to her own room, just for observation. She has a CAT scan scheduled for later today and the neurologist wants to run some more tests before she puts her into a regular room. The orthopedist said he needs to keep Rory in the hospital until they can take her out of traction, but then she can come home. She'll be in a wheelchair for a while and will probably need physical therapy, but she's going to be okay."

"I'm so glad that she's finally awake. She's given me quite a scare the past few weeks. Can we see her?" Richard asked.

"Soon," Lorelai promised. "In a little while, actually. Christopher and Gigi are in with her now and I want to give them some time alone."

"Christopher? What is Christopher doing here?" Emily asked.

"Hmm. Let's see. He's Rory's dad, Mom. Of course he's here."

"Oh, of course he's here," Emily mimicked sarcastically. "Just like he's been there for Rory throughout her life."

"No. Not here and not now, Mom. Leave it alone. This is a happy day for all of us. Rory's awake and she's going to be okay."

"Emily, Lorelai's right. We'll wait until Christopher's done visiting. Is there someplace we can wait?" Richard asked. "The cafeteria perhaps."

"Sure," Lorelai said. "You can hang with us in the family room. Luke and Sookie have made sure that we've got a ton of food!"

"Us?" Emily said. "Who else is here?"

Emily and Richard followed Lorelai down the hall to the family room. Luke and Jess quickly rose to greet Lorelai's parents.

"Jess. What are you doing here?" Emily asked, shocked to see him.

"Mom, Rory was asking for Jess. Jess helped Rory wake up."

"It's no big deal," Jess said.

"It is a big deal, Jess," Lorelai said firmly. "You got Rory to respond to you and she woke up. She asked for you and you came. You did it for her. You guys have some unfinished business and I am going to let you both work on that. Jess, I owe you everything. You brought my daughter back to me. Thank you."

Lorelai pulled Jess into a hug and as Jess was getting used to it, he didn't even flinch.

Christopher and Gigi came into the family room to see Lorelai hugging Jess.

"I'm not even going to ask," Christopher said as Lorelai brushed tears from her eyes. He didn't want to know why Luke's no-good nephew was there.

"Christopher. How is she? How is Rory doing?" Richard asked Christopher.

"She's okay. Very groggy, but she's awake and talking. We need to get going. I've got to get Gigi home. Lore, call me if there are any changes."

"Of course. Bye, Chris."

"We're going in to see Rory now," Emily said, still eyeing Jess suspiciously. She didn't trust that boy. He had hurt Rory once and she knew that, given the opportunity, he would hurt her again.

"Good," Lorelai said, smiling at her mother, trying not to grit her teeth. "I'll come by in a little while and join you."

"We don't need a chaperone, Lorelai. We won't do anything to hurt our granddaughter," she said pointedly with a sidelong glance to Jess.

"I know that. Humor me, okay?"

"Sorry about them," Lorelai said as soon as her parents left.

"It's okay. I haven't given much reason for them to trust me," Jess said.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Jess. You've got one. And you've more than earned this one!"


	7. Second Chances

_Thanks for the great reviews…keep them coming! This story "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Seven Second Chances**

"My parents finally left," Lorelai said when she stepped back into the family room. Jess was listening to Metallica on his iPod and was jotting notes down in one of his many notebooks.

"They did? Gee, that's too bad," Jess said, glancing up to see Lorelai's beaming smile.

"You sound so broken up about it. I'm sorry that they didn't stop and say goodbye. I bet if you hurry, you could catch them in the parking garage!"

"Nah, I think I'll pass."

"Where's Luke?" Lorelai asked.

"I think he's taking a nap," Jess said, indicating the pile of blankets with a baseball cap on the couch.

"Oh, we can have none of that!" Lorelai rushed over to the pile and jumped on it.

"Ugh!" Luke moaned from under the pile of blankets. "Lorelai, get off of me!"

"How did you know it was me?" Lorelai asked as she got off him.

"Just a wild guess. Hey, I've got a crazy idea," Luke said with a smile. "Let's go home."

"What? Luke, we can't go home."

"Why not? Rory's awake. We haven't been out of this hospital in weeks. I say we go home, take a long, hot shower. We can both slip into something more comfortable and then slip between the sheets."

"Too much information," Jess said, turning up the volume on the iPod.

"I don't want to leave Rory alone," Lorelai said, "but sleeping at home sounds really good!"

"Rory wouldn't be alone," Luke said. "Jess is here."

"You're volunteering your nephew's babysitting services?" Lorelai asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Isn't that like putting the fox in charge of the hen house?"

"Come on, be serious. You don't want Rory to be alone, and I get that. Jess is here and they have a lot of stuff to talk about and this would give them the opportunity to talk and it would give us the chance to sleep in a real bed!"

"I don't know," Lorelai said. "What if something happens?"

"Okay, plan B. We could stay in a hotel in Hartford and Jess will call if anything happens."

"Does Jess know about this plan?" Lorelai asked.

"Plan B was his idea."

"I guess it would be okay," Lorelai said. "Can we go to dinner first? Make it like a date?"

"Sure. Come on, let's go." Luke got to his feet and took Lorelai by the hand. "Hey, Jess, we're going to get going."

"Yeah, get the hell out of here," Jess said. "Get some sleep."

"Jess, promise you'll call if anything happens," Lorelai said, grabbing her jacket. "And tell Rory that I'll call to say goodnight."

"Everything will be fine, Lorelai. We'll see you in the morning."

It took about fifteen minutes for Jess to get Luke and Lorelai out of the hospital. When he got to Rory's room, she was taking a nap. Jess settled into the chair with a book and propped his feet up on the bed. He read for about an hour before he fell asleep.

Rory woke up when a nurse came in to take her vitals and give her the evening dosages of her medication. Rory saw Jess asleep in the chair next to her bed and she smiled.

"Is there any way I can order food?" Rory asked. "Some real food? Like a pizza or something? I'm so hungry!"

"I'll see what I can do," the nurse said. "I'll have to check with your doctors."

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up," Jess mumbled groggily.

"I was wondering the same thing."

"How are you feeling?" Jess asked, getting up from the chair and perching on the side of the bed. "Is this okay?" he asked, hoping that he could sit closer to her.

"It's fine and so am I. I'm really glad you came back, Jess."

"I'm glad I came back, too. Rory, can we talk for a little while? About us?"

"What about us?" Rory asked.

"Luke told me that you had a job interview when you got hurt."

"He did?" Rory replied and flushed slightly.

"It's okay. Why didn't you tell anyone you were looking for jobs in Philly?"

"I was scared," Rory admitted. "After I graduated and didn't find a job right away, I started broadening my horizons. You know, thinking outside the box. I started to think about where else I could look for work. I was focusing on cities close to Stars Hollow and to places where I knew people. The more I looked, the better Philadelphia looked to me."

"Why didn't you call me? I could have gotten you a job at the publishing house, just something to tide you over until you found something more permanent."

"I didn't know if you'd even talk to me after I saw you in Philly. I led you on and I am so sorry."

"Rory, it's fine. All is forgiven, I promise. I wouldn't be here otherwise. You know me better than that."

"Thanks," Rory said.

"We're alone, you know," Jess said.

"What do you mean?"

"Luke took your mom to dinner and to sleep at a hotel."

"Good. She looked awful. I can only imagine how I look. I'm well-rested at least!"

"You're beautiful," Jess said softly.

"You lie, but you're nice."

"I'm serious, Rory. You're still the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Why did you come back, Jess?"

"I told you before, you asked for me."

"So I've been told. But you didn't have to come. And you kissed me earlier today. Jess, what's going on?"

"I want another chance," Jess confessed. "I want another chance for us. We were kids before, Rory. I couldn't be honest with myself back then, so there was no way I could be honest with you about how I was feeling and what was going on with me. I made some bad choices then and if I could go back and change anything, I would say goodbye to you and tell you that I love you."

"We can't go back, Jess," Rory said quietly.

"You're right," Jess said, disappointed and deflated. "We can't go back." He started to get up, ready to leave Rory forever.

"But we can move forward."

"What?" Jess asked, sitting back on the bed feeling as though he missed a crucial step.

"I can't change what happened between us, Jess, and neither can you, but we can change what will happen between us. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or next week or next month, but I know that I want to try to see if there could be something between us. I'm just going to need some time to piece my feelings together."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," Jess said as he leaned down and kissed Rory softly and deeply. "You'll have all the time that you need, Rory. I promise."

Rory kissed him back. She cursed her broken body, wishing that she could hold him close or at least have him in the bed beside her.

"This can't be comfortable for you," Jess said, pulling back reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Rory. I'm sorry that you're hurting."

"I feel okay," Rory said. "I just can't move. I can't believe I have been in this body cast for a month!"

"Yeah, but you've also been healing for a month," Jess pointed out. "And you'll be sitting on the bridge with me in no time."

"I just want to be with you, Jess," Rory said. "I want to be with you and be comfortable at the same time. This traction thing really sucks!"

"I know, Rory, I know," Jess said, kissing Rory softly on the forehead. "Wait," Jess said, hopping off the bed. "I've got an idea."


	8. Dinner and a Movie

_Thanks for all of the great reviews…keep them coming! "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Eight Dinner and a Movie**

Jess came back into Rory's room about twenty minutes later pushing a hospital bed.

"What's this?" Rory asked, smiling.

"A way that you and I can have dinner and a movie in comfort," Jess said with a deep chuckle. "I want to be close to you and I want you to be comfortable."

"Where did you get this?" Rory asked. "You didn't steal it, did you?"

"I'm not the Dodger anymore, Rory," Jess assured Rory with a smile as he carefully moved Rory and her bed over so that the other bed would fit up close beside it.

"You'll always be Dodger to me, Jess."

"Cute. I asked the nurse if I could move this bed in and she said yes, after a lot of begging, anyway. I think she likes me!"

"Did you say dinner and a movie?"

"I heard you ask that nurse for a pizza earlier," Jess confessed, smiling. "And it got me a little sentimental, remembering our movie nights. So, I checked with that nurse, who talked to both of your doctors. Verdict is we can have pizza for dinner as long as the hospital cafeteria makes it."

"Really?"

"Really. I don't know how good it is, but it's pizza. They'll probably make you eat some salad or something, too. I managed scored a DVD player, too. An orderly is going to bring it up with the pizza along with some DVDs."

"Jess, you're amazing," Rory said, smiling. "Thank you so much!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Jess said, still shifting the bed around so that they could both see the TV and so that he could touch and kiss her without hurting her. He climbed onto the bed and snuggled as close to Rory as he could and carefully wrapped an arm around her.

"I would," Rory said. "You helped make me feel better the best you knew how. For that, I'll always be thankful."

They sat in silence for a little while watching the crappy shows on the hospital TV. Jess was watching Rory more than he was watching the television. He leaned toward her and carefully kissed her on her bruised and stitched cheek.

"I hate that you're seeing me like this when I haven't even seen myself like this," Rory told him. "Mom wouldn't let me see a mirror."

"Then I won't let you either," Jess said firmly. "Your mother is not a woman I want to mess with, especially right now. She's got enough Mama Bear in her to do some real damage!"

"Lorelai is all bark," Rory said with a laugh.

"Yeah, okay," Jess said with a sidelong glance. "Now I think you've had some serious brain damage, Rory."

"That's mean," Rory said.

"That's kidding," Jess said with a laugh.

The food and the entertainment arrived about fifteen minutes later. There was enough food for a traditional Gilmore feast with all the trimmings. In addition to the pizza, they had salad, pudding, milk, and juice with fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookies. As promised, the orderly brought a DVD player to their room along with an assortment of DVDs. The only DVDs the orderly could find were from pediatrics, so they had every children's movie ever made.

Jess helped Rory eat her first real meal in a month. In theory, pizza had been a good idea, but in reality, it was nearly impossible for Rory to eat with only one arm free. Once Rory got through the pizza, she started on the pudding, which she could manage on her own.

"It's time for a movie," Rory said. "What are the choices?" she asked.

"Let's see," Jess said, perusing the titles. "We've got _Finding Nemo, The Incredible Journey, Mary Poppins, Shrek, The Parent Trap_, and _The Little Mermaid_. What do you think?"

"Ooh, _Mary Poppins_! _Mary Poppins_, please, Jess!"

"It's a good thing that I love you," Jess said under his breath as he opened the case and popped the disc into the DVD player.

"What?" Rory asked.

"Nothing," Jess said. "Nothing at all."

"Okay," Rory said. She hadn't heard what he said, but she knew that it wasn't nothing. She also knew Jess and that he would tell her what he was thinking in his own time.

"This movie is so stupid," Jess said while Dick Van Dyke was dancing with cartoon penguins on the TV.

"I used to watch it all the time when I was home sick when I was little," Rory said.

"Times have changed, Rory. You're not a little girl anymore."

"I know that. I'm just enjoying the movie, Jess."

"That's not how I mean it. When we first met, that first time I saw you in your room, you looked like an angel, so sweet and innocent."

"And now I look like an evil whore now? Gee, thanks, Jess."

"I'm just not very good at this stuff, Rory. I just mean that you're different now. And that I'm different, too. We've both changed. We've both grown up. We're both in such different places this time. You've graduated from Yale, I've got my job and I'm working on another book."

"You're working on another book? Jess, that's fantastic!"

"A lot of time that has passed, other people have been in our lives."

"Are you trying to tell me that you have a girlfriend?"

"No, Rory, it's nothing like that. I wouldn't be here if there was someone else. That wouldn't be fair to either of us."

"So there hasn't been anyone else?"

"Well, I haven't been a monk, if that's what you mean, but I'm not seeing anyone now and I haven't seen anyone in a long time."

"Jess, I have to tell you something," Rory said quickly.

"I know about Logan. I know that you broke up and I know that you lived together. I don't want any details."

"Okay, but you don't know about Dean."

"Dean? What about Dean?" Jess snarled through gritted teeth.

"We got together again, before I met Logan."

"Didn't Dean get married when he was, like, nineteen?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Rory, when did you get together with Dean?"

"While he was still married," Rory admitted. "I was the other woman," she said regrettably. "I felt terrible. It was my first time and he was married!"

"Rory, why are you telling me this?" Jess asked quietly.

"I wanted to be honest with you. I made a mistake and I wanted to be up front about it."

"Rory, you do realize that I'm not a virgin or anything, right? That when I told you I wasn't a monk, you knew that I meant that there were other women, right?"

"Yeah, I knew that. But, I don't know those girls and you knew Dean. If we're going to start over, I mean really start over, then I need to go into this with a clean slate."

"Rory, you said it before, we can't go back. I can't go back and treat you better and you can't go back and not have sex with Dean."

"Back then," Rory said, "when we were together."

"What? What about it?"

"Well, before you left, actually, for prom," Rory babbled.

"Spill it, Gilmore."

"I was going to have sex with you."

"What?"

"I was going to have sex with you. I was going to lose my virginity to you, Jess."

"So, if I had stayed a few more days?"

"Yup. You'd have gotten yourself a Gilmore girl."

"Can't I still get myself a Gilmore girl?" Jess asked. "Or has that boat already sailed?"

"You've already gotten yourself a Gilmore girl, Jess. You've always had a Gilmore girl."


	9. Sprung in Stars Hollow

_Thanks for all of the great reviews…keep them coming! "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Nine Sprung in Stars Hollow**

The time quickly came when Jess had to leave Rory and return to Philadelphia to go back to work. Their goodbye was a sad goodbye. He promised to come back the next weekend and vowed to call her every night. Jess told her goodbye and kissed her deeply and left quickly, afraid that if he didn't that he would be able to otherwise. Rory never told him, when he left, she told him goodbye and a small part of her didn't expect him to ever return or to contact her again.

He kept all of his promises. He called her at least every night during the weeks while he was in Philly and he came back to the hospital every weekend to see her, promising to stay a lot longer and more often when she was up and around. She didn't know that in addition to working, he was busy putting out feelers for job opportunities that would be good for a recent Yale University graduate and finding an apartment of his own. He hoped that it wouldn't stay his alone for long.

Two weeks after Jess first came back to see her, Rory Gilmore was released from the hospital. Her face had healed, only revealing one thin scar through her eyebrow. She was out of traction and her arm was out of the cast, but she was still bound to a wheel chair with two broken legs. Both of her legs had been reset and required a few more weeks of healing. Each of her doctors gave her a clean bill of health and a calendar full of appointments, including physical therapy and sessions with a psychiatrist specializing in recovering lost memories.

The police were still trying to solve the hit and run that landed Rory in the hospital in the first place. Rory spoke with the police several times and each time was met with the same result: she could not remember anything about the car that hit her. She still could only remember stopping to try to help the dog. The police hoped that Rory might remember more details from the accident if she was under hypnosis, which is why she was going to see the therapist.

The information the police had gathered from witnesses to Rory's accident. Although no one saw what actually happened, they concluded that there had been a sliver sports car seen traveling very fast in the vicinity of the accident scene in the moments before and after the accident happened. Forensic investigators at the accident scene confirmed that the car was silver from the paint transfer as the car scraped along Rory's car before hitting her.

Tire track analysis told the police that the car had stopped and sped off again and that the tread of the tire matched a tire used on several high-end sports cars. Forensics also found footprints that had not been accounted for in the gravel near the tire marks and in the dust next to where they found Rory. The sole impression matched a size 10 men's Bostonian dress shoe, so the police concluded that their suspect was between 5'9" and 5'11" tall. Unless Rory could narrow it down, their pool of suspects was about 10,000 men in the greater Connecticut area.

Jess left Philly as soon as he heard that Rory had been released from the hospital and he didn't stop driving until he arrived in Stars Hollow. When he got there, he went straight to Rory's house. He knew it was going to be full of townspeople: Sookie, Jackson, and their kids, Lane, Zack, and their twins, Taylor, Kirk and Lulu, Miss Patty, and Babette and Maury would be there along with Luke and Lorelai to welcome Rory home in what could only be called true Stars Hollow fashion.

When Jess saw the crowd of people at the house, a huge part of him wanted to hang back. The old Jess, the Jess that the majority of Stars Hollow knew as their former resident bad boy, would have left without a word. The old Jess would have felt uncomfortable around all those people, unsure how to relate to their eccentricities. The old Jess wouldn't have even tried to relate and wouldn't have gone into the house. This Jess, the grown-up Jess, the real Jess, however, needed to put that part of himself aside, grow up, prove to himself and show the world, or at least Stars Hollow, that Jess Mariano was back and that he was back for good.

He pulled in and parked his car in the driveway behind Luke's truck. He stood and stared for a few moments before he forced himself to go into the house. It was going to be the first time in over four years that he would be in that house. A small part of him was afraid of that house and everything that it represented. There were a lot of memories in that house, and a lot of them were not the best of memories for either Jess or Rory. He avoided the front door and snuck in through the kitchen, which was where Luke was hiding out.

"Hey. You're back," Luke said.

"That I am," Jess replied. "And you're hiding, aren't you?"

"There are too many crazy people in there."

"Which is why I slipped in through the back, totally undetected," Jess explained. "How is she? How's Rory?"

"Rory's doing just fine," Luke said. "Lorelai and I got her settled in on the couch before all the crazies arrived. I think she's glad to be home, but I know she'll be even happier to see you. She was wondering when you'd be back." Luke left out the fact that he had wondered if he would be back.

"I told her I'd be here when she got home. I hit some traffic getting out of Philly. Want one?" Jess asked as he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.

"Sure," Luke said.

Jess grabbed a beer for Luke and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Thanks," Luke said, taking the beer from Jess and opening the bottle. "Ah, this really hits the spot."

"I'll be back in a minute," Jess said. "Watch my beer."

"Is it going to do tricks?" Luke asked as Jess left the kitchen in search of Rory.

Jess crept out of the kitchen and casually leaned against the archway next to the stairs, listening to the gossipy and inappropriate stories that Babette and Miss Patty were subjecting Rory to. Rory's back was to him, but Lorelai was in clear view from her chair at the end of the couch. She smiled and winked hello to Jess while she continued to listen to the raunchy stories and Jess waved back in return.

Lorelai nudged Rory and indicated that Jess was there. Rory turned to look over her shoulder and smiled broadly at Jess.

"Jess, you back! You're here! I wish that I could greet you. Come on! Get your butt over here."

At the mention of his name, the room went silent and all heads turned to gape in amazement at their black sheep's gallant return to town. Lane smiled at Jess and nudged Zack. Miss Patty and Babette put their heads together in an intense whispered conversation. Sookie and Jackson smiled warmly, their gaze daring between Jess, Rory, and Lorelai.

Jess obliged Rory's request and he crossed the room to see her. He leaned down and gently kissed her.

"Hello," Jess said, smiling.

"When did you sneak in?" Rory asked.

"About ten minutes ago," Jess said.

"Did you sneak in through the back?"

"Yeah, I've been keeping Luke company in the kitchen. How are you feeling?" Jess asked Rory, his voice concerned.

"Oh, so much better. I'm off the heavy pain killers now, so I might actually be able to carry on an entire conversation in one setting and stay awake! I'm glad to be out of that hospital, and especially out of traction. I thought I was going to be there forever! It's so much easier to move now. Well, sort of move, anyway."

"I'm so glad you're out of there. That place freaked me out."

"So, Jess," Taylor said, breaking into their conversation. "How long will you be in town?"

"Butt out, Taylor," Luke yelled from the kitchen.

"Enquiring minds in Stars Hollow want to know," Taylor said, raising his voice so that Luke could hear him. "So, how long will you be here?"

"Why, do you want to throw me a party?" Jess asked.

"Well, I had never thought of something like that," Taylor said, stroking his beard. "I suppose that we could put something on the agenda for the next Town Meeting."

"Taylor, he's joking," Lorelai said.

"I've got this week off work," Jess told Rory, ignoring the rest of the people in the room. "I have some proofing of the layout to do, but I can do that online from anywhere. Then I'll be doing the weekend thing again for a while, if that's okay."

"Of course, it's fine. Now, go back and hide in the kitchen," Rory said with a smile. "And thanks so much for coming back!"

"I'll talk to you later," Jess said, smiling as he retreated to his hiding place.

"I tell you, I've never seen that boy smile that much," Miss Patty said in a stage whisper to Babette.

"He's really back?" Babette asked no one in particular as she addressed the entire room.

"Yeah," Jess answered loudly from the kitchen. "I'm really back."


	10. Phone Calls to Philly

_Thanks for all of the great reviews…keep them coming! "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Ten Phone Calls to Philly**

"They're off!" Rory yelled excitedly into her cell phone. "They're off, they're off, they're off!"

"No, I think you're off," Jess replied with a smirk. "What's wrong with you?"

"The casts! They're off!"

"You got your casts off. Rory, that's awesome!"

"I kept them," Rory confessed. "Is that odd?"

"Only a little, but it's a very Rory sort of odd."

"My muscles are really sore, but I can walk. Well, I can walk with a cane, but the wheels are gone! I can finally go to the bathroom by myself!"

"When do you start physical therapy?"

"This coming Tuesday, so I think I should enjoy myself now because I hear that PT really sucks!"

"I hear that, too," Jess agreed. "So, aside from the sore muscles, how are your legs?"

"My legs are great! I can see them and everything. They're in serious need of shaving," Rory confessed with a giggle. "Three months without shaving is really too long, I guess."

"That was more information than I ever needed."

"Well, I promise that before I see you the next time that I'll be soft and smooth."

"I'm going to have to hold you to that one," Jess agreed. "Hey, I've got a proposition for you."

"Shoot."

"Now that you're mobile, why don't you come to Philly this weekend?"

"Are you sure you can handle me? I still need a lot of help with a lot of stuff."

"I'm positive and I am ready, willing, and able to help you however you need. I was thinking I could drive up Thursday night after work and we could come back here first thing Friday morning. That would give us all day Saturday and Sunday to do Philly. I can drive you back on Monday so you'll be back in plenty of time for your appointment on Tuesday."

"That's a lot of driving for you," Rory commented.

"But you're worth it," Jess replied. "Besides, I know you can't drive on your own yet."

"How do you know that?"

"Common sense, Rory. You don't have enough muscle control to drive yet, especially all the way to Philly."

"I could fly," Rory suggested. "Then all you'd have to do is pick me up at the airport."

"You're not going to fly, Rory. It's a waste of money," Jess said.

"Spending money to see you isn't a waste of money."

"It's only a four hour drive, Rory. To get a flight for this weekend, it'll cost about $500. Rory, that's crazy!"

"You driving back and forth to Stars Hollow twice just to pick me up is just as crazy."

"No, it's not. It's practical. Besides, it gives us more time together. Alone in the car together, just you and me."

"We haven't had much of that," Rory agreed. "Are you sure that you don't mind all that driving?"

"Rory, you are always worth it. You're worth everything to me."

"You've really got a way with words, Jess. You sure know how to make a girl feel all warm and squishy."

"I'm glad you're feeling squishy. I didn't know I had that effect on you."

"You know exactly what effect you have on me, Jess Mariano!"

"Well, I've got a question," Jess said quickly before he could lose his nerve. "Did the doctors tell you that there is anything you can't do?"

"Well, I won't be running a marathon anytime soon, but except for driving, I can do anything that I want."

"Anything?"

"Why? What did you have in mind?"

"Well, there's sight-seeing in Philadelphia and that'll require some walking."

"As long as you won't be embarrassed to be seen with your girlfriend wielding a cane, I'll be able to do some walking."

"Okay, well then there's the sleeping."

"What about it? I don't have any sleeping restrictions."

"Right, but what if we weren't just sleeping?"

"Jess, are you talking about sleeping together?" Rory asked.

"It's just been something I've been thinking about," Jess confessed quickly. "It's been something I've been thinking about a lot, actually. I love you, Rory, and I wanted to really show you how I feel."

"I love you, too, Jess, but we don't have to rush into having sex right away. We don't need to have sex for me to know that you love me, Jess."

"I know that, Rory," Jess said. "That's not what I meant. I love you, Rory, and I want you, too."

"I want you, too, Jess. I really, really want you. You have no idea how much I want you."

"So, there aren't any restrictions with you?"

"I didn't talk to the doctor about that in particular, but she didn't tell me anything about it, either. I should call and ask her. I'll call and ask her. I'll call you right back."

"Rory! Rory, no!"

But it was too late. Rory had already hung up and was dialing her doctor's office.

"Hello. This is Rory Gilmore. I just left Dr. Jenson's office. I have another question that I need to ask her. Is she with a patient? This will only take a few minutes."

"Of course, Miss Gilmore. Can you hold for a few minutes? I just need to page Dr. Jenson."

"Yes, thank you so much."

"Rory, hello," Dr. Jenson said a few moments later. "You've got a question for me?"

"Yeah. See, I was wondering if there were any restrictions."

"Restrictions? Like what?"

"Like sex."

"No, having sex is fine as long as you're comfortable. You'll know if you're not comfortable and listen to your legs, but as long as you're not in any pain, you'll be fine."

"Great. Okay, thanks for your time."

"No problem. Call me anytime."

Rory quickly called Jess back.

"I can't believe you just did that! What did she say?"

"I'm perfectly fine and I can do whatever whenever."

"Really?"

"Really."

"What if I come and get you Wednesday after work instead of Thursday? That would give us a lot more time together, don't you think?"

"That sounds great, Jess. Absolutely perfect."


	11. Road Trip

_Thanks for all of the great reviews…keep them coming! "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Eleven Road Trip**

Rory and Jess headed off to Philadelphia for their first weekend alone together. As planned, Jess picked Rory up after work and they headed for Philly first thing the next morning. They were on the road before breakfast and were midway through their first of many heated discussions before they were on the highway.

"I still can't believe you packed so much," Jess commented with a sideways glance to Rory from the driver's seat.

"I know, I did pack a lot, but I need plenty of options."

"Come on, Rory. There is a ton of luggage in my trunk right now. I don't think there is that much stuff in my entire apartment. How many options do you need? What are you, moving in?"

"What if it gets warm? Or cold? I need to have choices of what to wear."

"You are such a girl."

"Good thing. Otherwise, we would be in a very different relationship."

"Well, why don't you?"

"Why don't I what?"

"Move in. With me."

"What?"

"Think about it," Jess said. "We'll talk about it later."

"Think about it?"

"Just think about it, Rory. Keep an open mind. We're in a relationship now."

"I don't know," Rory said thoughtfully. "I think we're back in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, again, but does that mean that we're ready to move in together?"

"I agree with you about the boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but, what if we're in more of a relationship than that?"

"And where would we live? There isn't really a middle of the road between Philadelphia and Stars Hollow."

"Rory, it's just a thought. Keep an open mind. We'll talk about it more later, I promise."

"Okay," Rory said quietly, thinking of something to talk about. "So, what's on the agenda for this weekend? Our weekend."

"I'm sorry, but I need to do a little work tomorrow morning," Jess told Rory. "Just for a few hours, I promise. You can either come to work with me or you can hang out at my place."

"I think it would be fun to come to work with you. You know, see what you do when you're at work. Meet the guys again, for real, you know. Besides, this weekend is about you and me spending time together, so we need to be together. Period."

"It's up to you, Rory."

"I want to come with you."

"Okay, then," Jess said, picking up Rory's hand and kissing it softly. "I'm glad. I am very, very glad."

"Me, too. Okay. Well, what about the rest of the weekend?"

"Well, I was thinking of doing a totally Philadelphia day on Saturday. You know, check out the Liberty Bell, all the Ben Franklin stuff, the Mint, and eat lots and lots of cheese steaks."

"That sounds great, Jess. Can we go to Independence Hall on one of those tour things? I've never been, but the one in the movie _National Treasure_ looked pretty cool."

"Of course. It's our day, so we can do anything that we'd like. Dinner, I thought we'd go to this little place, Then, after dinner, I thought we could have a _Rocky_ movie marathon, an honorable tribute to Philadelphia's favorite, albeit fictional, son. I've already rented _Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V_, and the newest, _Rocky Balboa_ and I've stocked up on plenty of popcorn."

"Oh, sounds great! I love _Rocky_! I haven't seen _Rocky Balboa_ yet, but the guy who plays Rocky, Jr., Milo Ventimiglia, is pretty cute."

"Yeah, I think so, too. That's why I rented it!"

"I'm serious, Jess. I think he's a pretty good actor. He's on that TV show, _Heroes_. It's pretty good."

"I agree."

"You've finally watched it?"

"You've only talked about it constantly for the past few weeks, so I decided the check out the marathon on the _Sci-Fi Network_."

"Okay, back to our weekend. What else did you have planned for us?"

"On Sunday, I thought we could sleep in and then make our own version of _Rocky_ and I could tape you running up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with _Gonna Fly Now_ playing in the background. You could even kiss the Rocky statue, too, if you want."

"You want to tape me running up the Rocky steps? Jess, I'm still walking with a cane."

"Well, then you can tape me while I run up the steps, but I'm not kissing the statue. I might agree that Milo's a good looking guy, but kissing a statue is taking it too far, right? Besides, I thought that the cane would add an interesting twist. I could try to run with the cane."

They kept talking throughout their trip to Philadelphia, but both of their thoughts remained on the pink elephant sitting in the backseat: Jess' idea that they live together. Jess had been thinking about it for weeks. He had done research on ways to continue doing his job over the internet until he found someone to take over and until he found something else. He hoped that Rory would want to move to Philadelphia, but he also was looking at the alternative, which was him moving back to Stars Hollow or moving with her wherever she found a job worthy of her.

Rory couldn't get over Jess' suggestion that they move in together. It was such a random suggestion and yet it was so expected. Rory knew from their few and far between visits and conversations that Jess still loved her, always had and always would. What she hadn't realized was that she loved Jess, always had and always would. Her second time around with Dean was a rebound from Jess. Logan was an alternative bad boy, but he was never Jess. The real reason she turned down Logan's proposal was thinking back at how he had treated Jess. Logan had been such a jerk, so arrogant. She knew he was jealous, but the way he treated Jess, and how he had treated Marty, was the way she knew he would always treat good people that weren't wealthy.

"Rory," Jess called, breaking her out of an intense daydream.

"What?"

"We're here."

"We're here?"

"Yeah, we just crossed the city line. Welcome to Philadelphia."

They drove the rest of the way in relative silence because Rory was watching the scenery out the car window.

"You've been here before, Rory."

"I know, but I was driving then. I couldn't look out the window at the scenery when I was watching for street signs."

"Well, you've never been here before," Jess said, pulling into a parking lot in a nice residential neighborhood.

"Where are we?"

"Manning Street," Jess said. "My street."

"I thought you lived above the publishing house," Rory said. "In an apartment above Truncheon with those other guys. That's not on this street."

"I used to, but I moved into my own place. I wanted the space. And the privacy."

"When? When did you move?"

"Two weeks ago," Jess confessed. "Can you carry your backpack and train case? It's just a couple of blocks."

"Sure," Rory said, slinging her trusty yellow backpack from high school over her shoulders and with her train case in one hand, she was able to balance with her cane. "But can you carry everything else?" Rory asked, referring to Jess' duffle bag, and her luggage.

"I can get the rest of this. Come on. Let's go home."


	12. The City of Not So Brotherly Love

_Thanks for all of the great reviews…keep them coming! "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Twelve The City of Not-So-Brotherly Love**

"And here we are," Jess said, kicking the door to his loft-style apartment open after unlocking a series of locks. "The woman who lived here before me was a little paranoid about locks."

"And yet you carry on the paranoia," Rory said smiling, thinking of the off-campus apartment she and Paris shared during their senior year at Yale.

The loft was exactly what Rory expected from a place that Jess called his own. It was an open floor plan. The loft was sparsely furnished with a couch, chair, TV and DVD player, and a coffee table in the living room, a card table and chairs in the kitchen along with the standard microwave, stove, and refrigerator. The bathroom could be seen from the living area and appeared to be fairly standard. A row of Japanese screens separated the living area from what Rory assumed to be the bedroom. A desk with a computer workstation was set up in the living area against one of the screens and a stereo was set up against the other. Decorating the walls were movie posters. One of the walls in the living room was a series of floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases that were chocked full.

"The bookcases sold me on this place," Jess said, following Rory through the loft.

"I can see why," Rory said, walking slowly along the wall, reading titles and turning green with envy. "This is amazing."

"You are the only person I know that would feel the same way as I do about this place. Come on, let's get you settled in." Jess took Rory's bags beyond the screens and Rory followed him.

Beyond the screens was a large bed covered with a simple solid brown comforter, white sheets, and fluffy white pillows. A quilt was folded at the bottom of the bed. A framed movie poster from the movie _The Godfather_ was hanging from the wall over the head of the bed. There was a nightstand on each side of the bed and each nightstand was complete with a lamp. One side, Jess' side, Rory assumed, had a pile of books under the nightstand and a digital alarm clock on the table top. There was a dresser against one of the screen walls. A closet was built into the wall and had brown panel curtains as doors. On the wall above the dresser was a mirror.

Jess opened the bottom drawer of the dresser, which was empty. He crossed to the closet and opened it to reveal several empty hangers.

"There's plenty of room for your stuff," Jess said. "There is a shelf in the medicine cabinet for you, too."

"Thanks," Rory said. "I'll do some unpacking later."

Rory sat on the edge of the bed, her hand casually feeling the soft material of the comforter.

"This place is just like you," Rory said. "It's simple and it has you everywhere."

"Thanks," Jess said, sitting down beside Rory and kissing her softly. "I'm really glad that you're here."

"Me, too," Rory replied, returning his kisses.

Jess continued to kiss Rory and was pleasantly surprised and kicked into a higher gear when Rory leaned back onto the bed and started scooting up so that she was lying on the bed. Jess followed her up the bed, shedding his jacket and tossing it to the floor. Rory kicked her shoes off, letting them fall to the floor, before reaching her hands under Jess' t-shirt. Jess firmly planted his hands on the bed on either side of Rory, not letting his weight touch her as they continued kissing.

"I'm not going to break, you know," Rory said with a soft smile.

"I don't want to hurt you," Jess said quietly, knowing in his heart that he meant both physically and emotionally.

"I know you don't, so I know that you won't," Rory replied, kissing him again, also knowing exactly what Jess meant.

Jess pulled Rory's shirt over her head and kissed her from her lips, down her cheeks and neck, and onto her chest and over her breasts. His hands caressed her curves, touching and squeezing, alternating between playfully and sensually. Rory, her hands still rubbing along Jess' back and gently tickling his sides, slipped her hands beneath the waistband of Jess' jeans and underneath his boxers, touching his butt and casually grazing his hips.

"That's it," Jess groaned, flipping Rory over so that she was on top of him. He crushed his lips into hers. The soft and gentle Jess was gone, quickly replaced by a hot and passionate clone. Rory met and exceeded his intensity quickly, excitedly pulling his shirt off and tossing it from the bed.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jess asked, breathless. He knew that if they stopped now, he would still be able to without taking too long of a cold shower.

"Absolutely," Rory replied as she unzipped her jeans.

Jess moaned, knowing that he was finally going to have what he had dreamed and imagined for the past four years. He quickly hopped off the bed to more easily remove his jeans and then he crossed the room and opened a drawer in the dresser.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Protection," Jess said, holding up a condom.

"My, my, my, aren't you the Boy Scout," Rory giggled. "I have some in my purse, too," she confessed.

"Good. Then we won't have to buy more later!" Jess ran and jumped on the bed, pulling Rory's jeans off and throwing them aside.

"Jess," Rory started quietly.

"What?" Jess stopped immediately, his voice full of concern. "Rory, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I love you, Jess."

"God, Rory. I love you, too. Man, you scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry. Anyway, continue with what you were doing."

Jess pulled the comforter and sheets back to allow them both to slip under. Once they were under the covers, their remaining clothes came off and for the first time, two became one. After about an hour, exhausted and spent, Rory and Jess fell asleep tangled in the sheets and wrapped in each other's arms.


	13. All the Bad Memories Come Rushing Back

_Author's Note: Sorry for such a delay in updating. This chapter is short because it's Rory's memory coming back...but I promise that I will finish my story very soon. My story, "Accidents Happen," is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Thirteen All the Bad Memories Come Rushing Back**

"_You'll do fine. It's just another interview. It's not a big deal. Just talk and be yourself and everything will be just fine," Rory Gilmore said, giving herself a silent pep talk while she drove toward the Interstate. _

_She was on her way to Philadelphia for a few days. She had job interviews planned and Philadelphia was hopefully an option for the new life Rory wanted to start for herself. Rory knew what people, most importantly Lorelai and Luke, would say if she told them she was going to Philadelphia, but it wasn't the way they would assume it was. _

"_It's not about Jess," Rory told herself. "It's not about what could have been. It's about me and making a future for myself. If Jess ends up in that future, then he ends up in that future, but right now, it's just a job interview."_

_Up ahead, Rory could see a light brown furry pile on the side of the road. Rory immediately slowed her car down when she saw the crippled body of the dog on the side of the road. She pulled over, clicked on her hazard lights, and got out of the car with her cell phone in hand to check on the dog._

"_Hi, puppy," Rory whispered to the whimpering dog. "Oh, you're still alive. Good. It's okay, puppy. It'll all be okay. I'm going to help you." She knew that the dog was badly hurt, but he was alive, at least for the moment. Rory frantically dialed her mother on her cell for assistance._

"_Mom, it's me, Rory," Rory said quickly. _

"_Yes, Rory, we've met before. About twenty-two years ago, actually."_

"_Mom, I need your help. See, there's a dog and he's hurt. He's hurt really bad. He got hit by a car. What's Paul Anka's vet's number? He needs help, Mom. I need to call an animal ambulance or something!"_

_She turned her head when she heard the sound of screeching tires and scraping metal just in time to see a speeding silver BMW convertible careening into her car. Rory felt like she was outside her body. She heard herself scream and felt her body freeze in fear. She could see what was going to happen, but she couldn't move. _

_The convertible crashed into and then bounced off Rory's car with sheer momentum and then got pulled of the road by the gravel along the shoulder. With tires spinning out of control, the car smashed into Rory, sending her flying ten feet away to a skidding halt in the gravel._

_Groggy, dazed, and in excruciating pain, Rory lay crumpled on the shoulder of the road. She heard the sound of crunching of gravel approaching, almost like someone was walking toward her. Rory struggled to open her eyes, but she could not see anything. The crunching stopped and she felt someone crouch beside her. _

_She felt a soft, warm hand softly graze her hair and forehead. She winced in pain when his hand touched her. Something in that gesture was familiar, but she could not place why. She knew that she had felt something like that before, but she couldn't remember the circumstances. Her head felt fuzzy, thoughts rolled around her head quickly and randomly flitted into her conscious mind before quickly fizzling out again. _

_She struggled to move, but her body wouldn't respond. She tried to speak, but no sound came from her throat. She tried to look around, to see who was there, but she could only open her eyes a small bit. She could only see his feet, his black loafers and the hem of his dark gray slacks. She could smell burnt rubber from the tires and the faint scent of scotch. She could sense that he was squatted beside her and she heard him sigh deeply._

_He was completely still and squatted silently beside her for what seemed like hours, but Rory knew that it was probably only for a few minutes. She could hear him breathing fast and she could tell that he started to fidget nervously beside her._

"_Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do this to you. This wasn't the plan. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Damn it, this wasn't supposed to be like this! I just wanted to see you, see if I could fix what happened, and make it up to you. What the hell did I do to you? God damn it, what the hell have I done?"_

_She was shocked when she recognized his voice immediately. She could not believe that she recognized his voice. How could he have been there? Why did he come back? How could he have hit her? He hit her with his car. He hit her car and then hit her and was going to leave her broken and for dead on the side of the road. She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't come out of her throat. She was in pain, in agony. She had never felt so much pain in her entire life._

"_I'm so sorry, Ace," Logan said before getting back behind the wheel of his car and speeding away. The faint sound of sirens broke the silence in the distance. _

"_Logan," Rory whispered before she slipped out of consciousness. _


	14. The Line

_Author's Note: My story, "Accidents Happen," is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!_

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Fourteen: The Line**

She woke in a cold sweat, screaming in fear and clutching the sheet she was wrapped in close to her. She started to hyperventilate. She shook out of fear and cold. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them close to her.

"No!" she screamed. "No, no, no!"

"Rory! Rory, baby, what is it? Are you okay?" Jess asked quickly, rushing into the bedroom and leaping onto the bed. He had been in the bathroom and ran in as soon as he heard her screams.

"No! No way. This is not happening! This is not happening to me. I can't believe that this is happening, that this happened."

"Rory, you're okay. It's okay. You're safe. I promise that you're safe, Rory. It was just a dream." Jess wrapped his arms around Rory and hugged her close to him.

"No! It wasn't a dream, Jess, it was real. I remember the accident. I remember everything that happened that day. I know who hit me."

"Are you sure, Rory? Are you really sure?"

"I'm positive. Oh, my God! I think I'm going to be sick!" Rory jumped from the bed and ran into the bathroom, making it to the toilet before she vomited. She sat on the cool tile floor of the bathroom and cried.

Jess stood outside the bathroom door and watched Rory. He felt helpless. She was beside herself and he didn't know what he could do to help her. Jess was almost positive that Rory had just dreamed the memories of the accident, but she seemed so certain about what she had seen in her dream.

After leaving her alone for a few minutes, Jess went into the bathroom and sat on the floor beside her. He pulled her hair back away from her face and wiped her tears away with a tissue.

"Rory, are you okay?" Jess asked.

"I will be," Rory said, sniffling. "I remember what happened, Jess. I just have to learn to deal with it."

"What do you remember?" Jess asked her quietly. "What happened?"

"I remember the dog. It was a German Shepherd. I was on the phone with Mom when I heard a screech. I looked up and saw this car speeding toward me. It was a silver BMW convertible with the top up. It side-swiped my car and then it hit me. I hurt everywhere. I was laying on the ground on the side of the road for what seemed like hours. Then I remember hearing the footsteps."

"The footsteps?"

"The driver was coming over to check on me. He touched me and started talking to me. He apologized for hitting me, kept saying it wasn't supposed to happen. Then he said goodbye and left. He ran. He left me on the side of that road and he didn't know if I was alive or dead. He thought I was dead. I could hear the sirens, so the police must have been close. I'm surprised they didn't see the car, but it doesn't surprise me. Money can make anything happen."

"Money?" Jess asked, confused. "What does money have to do with this?"

"Yeah," Rory said. "After all, money talks. It buys expensive lawyers, creates alibis out of thin air, makes expensive cars disappear and makes evidence go up in smoke."

"Rory, you mean you really know who hit you? You know who it was?"

"Oh, yeah," Rory said. "I know exactly who it was."

"Who was it, Rory?" Jess asked, afraid of her answer. She had been hit not far outside Stars Hollow, which indicated that Rory would know whoever it was. Based on her reaction, she knew whoever it was very well.

"No. Not yet. I need to tell the police what happened first. I need to make sure that my testimony isn't tainted."

"When did you get so _Law & Order_?"

"I'm serious, Jess."

"I know you are. Rory, you can tell me. I promise, you can tell me. Who was it?"

"No," Rory replied. "You'll kill him."

"Rory, you have to tell me. I promise, I'll let the cops do their job and I won't kill anyone. You have to tell me who hurt you or I'll go crazy!"

"I need to tell the police first," Rory said, jumping to her feet. "I'm sorry, but when you find out what happened, you'll really go crazy, Jess, and you will kill him. Actually, you'll have to get in line to kill him, and it'll most likely be a really long line! I've got the phone number of that detective in my purse."

"Hurry up and call him," Jess said. "I need to know what's going on, Rory. I don't like being in the dark with this one."

"I'll be out in a few minutes," Rory said. "This is something I have to do by myself."

"I understand," Jess said quietly with a reassuring smile as she locked herself in the bathroom. "I'll be out here when you're done."

Jess started thinking about what Rory had told him about her memories of the accident: the car, recognizing the man who hit her, and money. Lots of money.

"Oh, my God, Rory. No. No way in hell. Oh, fuck!" Jess muttered, finally putting all the pieces together. "That son of a bitch! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Jess started slamming things around the apartment, like drawers and cabinet doors. "God damn him!" In a fit of rage, Jess punched the closed front door, shaking his bloodied fist and then he cursed himself for being so stupid.

Jess crossed the room to his jacket to find his cell phone in his pocket. He started to dial a familiar phone number and then quickly he flipped his phone shut before completing the call. He needed to be supportive of Rory. This mess was Rory's mess and he needed to help her deal with it in her own way.

"It's probably a good idea to wait," Jess thought to himself as he put the phone back in his pocket. "Luke and Lorelai would be at the front of the line to kill Huntzberger."

Jess needed to find out information about his enemy so that he could protect Rory and help assure that he would go to jail for a long time and that he would pay for what he did to her. He unhooked his laptop from its power supply and brought it from the bedroom and into the living room. He sat on the couch and balanced his computer on his lap.

"Man, I love Google," Jess said with a half-smile as the search engine revealed up to the minute information about Logan's newest business venture in San Francisco.

When Rory came out of the bathroom, she had obviously calmed down, but her eyes were rimmed in red and her face was tear-stained.

"How did it go?" Jess asked. "Did they believe you?"

"Yeah, they did. It came as a bit of a shock, but they said that it fits with the forensic evidence they gathered from the scene of the accident," Rory said as she sat down on the couch beside Jess. "I still need to make an official statement when I get back next week, but he said that they would approach the DA about getting a search warrant."

She glanced at the computer screen and saw all of the search results about Logan Huntzberger.

"Hey, Jess, how did you know it was Logan that hit me?"

"I figured it out," Jess said. "It all fit, Rory. Come here," he said, pulling her close to him and wrapping his arms around him. "I'm so sorry about all of this. I wish you didn't have to deal with all of this shit. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I guess I am okay. It's tough to think that I lived with a man who was capable of leaving someone he supposedly loved enough to want to marry for dead on the side of the road after a hit and run accident."


	15. The Circus is in Town

_Author's Note: My story, "Accidents Happen," is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me! Just an FYI: This chapter is a lot longer than the previous chapters because it covers a lot of information. I debated making it two chapters, but I couldn't decide where to split it up. If all goes according to my plan, there will be five more chapters. I hope you enjoy this one as much as you have the previous chapters._

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Fifteen: The Circus is in Town**

The press had a field day when the DA of Hartford County, Connecticut announced that they wanted to speak with Logan Huntzberger, son of multi-million dollar publishing mogul Mitchum Huntzberger, as a "person of interest" in the investigation of a near-fatal hit and run accident involving his former girlfriend.

"We have no reason to anticipate that Mr. Huntzberger will be anything but cooperative in this investigation," District Attorney Anthony Monroe stated at the end of his press conference as he was flanked by Hartford County Sheriff's Department investigators and deputies who had been involved throughout the investigation.

Almost instantly, a gaggle of Huntzberger family funded lawyers and publicists started spinning their version of the story and were set on issuing statements on behalf of Logan and the Huntzberger family, promising cooperation and assuring nothing short of Logan's complete innocence. In the two days between the DA's press conference and the arrival of Logan Huntzberger at the Hartford County Sheriff's Department, there were no statements issued by any of the Huntzbergers' personally.

Newspapers, television news, and tabloid publications alike set up a camp in the outskirts of Stars Hollow, hoping to catch a glimpse of the unknown Rory Gilmore. Some were set on portraying her as a woman scorned by a painful break-up with Logan while others were shooting for the sweet and innocent angle. A lot of the press was negative toward Rory, but the majority was being extremely fair. No one questioned that Rory had been hit by a car, but most questioned how she could remember details of the accident, namely that it was Logan who hit her, when it had happened so many months earlier and had caused her to be unconscious for such a long time.

Throughout the media circus that surrounded the investigation, Rory remained silent and her silence mystified the press. They assumed that she would want to get her story out just as the Huntzbergers were proclaiming Logan's innocence everywhere, but their assumption couldn't have been farther from the truth. Rory trusted the legal system and, more importantly, she trusted herself and her memories of the truth about what happened the day of the accident.

Rory's family and friends respected her and kept their mouths shut also. It was difficult for some, like Kirk, but their love for Rory trumped the glitz and glamour of the press and entertainment news people. Stars Hollow closed ranks and kept outsiders where they belonged far more efficiently than ever before. Taylor Doose was in his glory as town selectman making new laws and requiring multiple permits for everything under the sun. There was no place for the press to stay as there was no room at the inn, the Dragonfly Inn, specifically. Gypsy made price gouging into an art form and Luke refused to serve anyone who he hadn't known for at least seven years. Lorelai was having the most fun with the frustrating situation of anyone in Stars Hollow. She was leading the press on a wild goose chase as they tried to land the biggest scoop of the moment, mainly an exclusive interview with Rory Gilmore. She would lead the press on, letting them believe that she was on the phone with Rory or on her way to see Rory, and then leading them into a series of false leads and dead ends as only Lorelai could. Only a select few in Stars Hollow knew where Rory actually was, and no one was willing to open their mouths to share her whereabouts.

Jess helped Rory keep a low profile by keeping her tucked safely away in Philadelphia with him and by keeping himself as far from Connecticut and Huntzberger as he could. He wanted to kill him for what he did to Rory and he wanted to tell those reporters exactly what had happened. He knew that he couldn't, which is why he kept himself and Rory away.

Rory got a part-time job writing freelance articles for an online literary magazine out of New York City. Rory figured that her Huntzberger connection may have had something to do with getting work, but she needed a decent job and a paycheck. So, she used a pen name for her byline: Lorelai Hayden. She wanted people to read her articles for the stories, not for her connections. What was nice about the job was that she didn't have an office to go to and she could write from anywhere and she submitted her essays via email, so she could be in her pajamas in Philadelphia or at Luke's Diner.

Two weeks after the DA named Logan Huntzberger a person of interest, a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was charged with reckless driving, assault with a deadly weapon, and leaving the scene of an accident. The DA's office was still investigating charges of withholding and tampering with evidence against Logan and his father, Mitchum Huntzberger. The grand jury voted unanimously that there was enough evidence presented by the prosecution in the case to bring Logan to trial. Through his attorneys, Logan plead not-guilty during his arraignment. Bail was set at $500,000 due to the seriousness of the case and the fact that the accused was a flight risk. The judge also agreed that Logan would surrender his passport. The trial was set for three short weeks later following the selection of the jury.

The media was having a field day. All of the press, ranging from mainstream newspapers and television networks to small tabloid rags, continued with their free-for-all in the weeks leading up to the trial. Logan had been forced to come back to the Huntzberger fold. He moved back into the family fold and into the Huntzberger compound and he let his lawyers speak for him.

The press got their first glimpse of Rory as she entered the courtroom for the opening statements at the courthouse in Hartford. Jess was beside her with her hand held tightly in his as they both walked proudly into the courtroom. If it hadn't been for the completely scary fact that Rory would be testifying and will have to face Logan again for the first time since she had turned down his proposal, and since he had hit her with his car and left her on the side of the road for dead, she would be all over Jess. He looked so hot in his suit, very James Dean, but she couldn't think about that now. All her energy was focused on her testimony.

Rory knew that she needed to testify to what she knew to be the truth, both in her mind and in her heart. She knew, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Logan Huntzberger had committed a crime. She knew that Logan hit her car and hit her. She knew that Logan had left her for dead on the side of that road. It didn't matter how much she had loved Logan. It didn't matter that, until the moment that she remembered and realized what had happened, she had still loved him. None of that mattered any longer. It had taken three years for Rory Gilmore to learn what was real, and it wasn't Logan Huntzberger: it was her, the real her. It was her future, and it was her one true love. It was and always had been Jess Mariano.

Rory felt like she was a celebrity being chased by the paparazzi with flash bulbs going off and questions being fired off fast and furious. She did her best to ignore the crowds of people as she walked proudly and confidently into the courtroom. Lorelai and Luke, Richard and Emily, Sookie and Jackson, and Christopher followed them into court to lend their support to Rory and show that Rory had people, too. Rory had her family and Rory had her Stars Hollow family.

A few minutes after Rory and her entourage entered the courtroom, the prosecutors came in along with the main investigators that had been assigned to the case. Moments later, the press went wild as it was apparent that the defense team had arrived. The doors burst open and Logan entered with his crew. He stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the aisle as soon as he saw Rory. At first, he was quiet and appeared to look sullen and upset, but quickly the real Logan appeared.

"Hey, Ace," Logan said quickly. "How's it going?" Logan's attorney quickly grabbed his arm and lead him away from the seats where Rory and her family were sitting.

"Step back, Logan," Luke advised wisely as he tightened his grip on Lorelai's hand both to hold her and himself back. He also put a hand protectively on Jess' shoulder to hold his nephew back. Luke knew that if Jess made a move, he would have to follow.

"I'm just saying hello to her, Luke," Logan replied, ignoring his attorney. "I can talk to her, can't I?" he asked sarcastically.

"No," Christopher said, protective of Rory and threatening to Logan. "You can't talk to her, Logan. You've done enough already."

"Rory, can I just talk to you? Please?"

"No," Rory said quietly before finding her courage and her voice. "You told me everything I needed to hear the day you hit me with your car and left."

"That's enough," Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Oliver said quickly. "Mr. Huntzberger, Miss Gilmore told you that she's not interested in speaking with you. It would be in your best interest to respect her wishes. Mr. Linsner, I suggest that you remind your client that he shouldn't be associating with the prosecution's witnesses in the courtroom."

"Come along, Logan," Mitchum Huntzberger said sternly, taking his son by the arm and lead him to the opposite side of the courtroom. "It's nice to see you again, Rory," Mitchum said over his shoulder. "You look great!"

Rory felt herself flush with embarrassment. She knew that she didn't look great. She still walked with a cane and a limp.

Jess squeezed her hand tightly in his. "You look beautiful, Rory. He wasn't lying about that."

"That pompous ass," Richard Gilmore said through gritted teeth. It took every ounce of self control, as well as Emily holding tightly to his arm, to keep him in his seat. "The nerve of him to even speak Rory's name."

"Richard, please calm down," Emily said softly. "Please, don't make a scene."

"All rise," the bailiff called loudly, bringing everyone in the courtroom to attention and their feet. "Court is now in session for the case of the State of Connecticut versus Logan Huntzberger. The honorable Bruce Ellis presiding."

"Have a seat, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Huntzberger, you have previously plead Not Guilty to reckless driving in the first degree, assault with a deadly weapon in the second degree, and leaving the scene of a crime in the first degree. Do you wish to change your plea on any of these charges before we begin?

"No, your honor," James Linsner said, rising to his feet.

"Very well then. Are we ready to begin, Ms. Oliver?"

"Yes, we are, your honor," Jennifer Oliver said quickly, remaining on her feet. She walked from behind the prosecution table to address the jury with her opening statement.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," she began. "A terrible crime was committed that we will prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was committed by the defendant, Logan Huntzberger."

Rory tuned her out as she thought about the fact that she was scheduled to testify first for the prosecution. Rory's testimony was supposed to be short and sweet. She needed to talk about what happened leading up to the accident and what she remembered about the events that followed it. Rory's testimony would be followed by Lorelai's and then by a huge slew of police investigators, forensic technicians, crime scene specialists, and doctors were scheduled.

Rory's testimony was quick and easy. No one argued that she had been hit by a car, so the defense only asked her questions regarding what she remembered following the accident. The lawyers tried to trip her up, providing her with false information, but none of their tricks worked. Rory knew what happened and she trusted her memory.

Following Rory's testimony, she stayed in the courtroom for the entire trial with her family and Jess by her side.

The prosecution presented their case for three straight days before resting their case for the defense. The defense called rebuttal witnesses to contradict the testimony of the forensic and medical evidence. The defense also tried to introduce alibi evidence for Logan, who had been in San Francisco seven hours before the accident and in London fifteen hours following. The investigators for the prosecution had found, however, a large hole in this alibi. When the defense rested, without calling Logan to testify in his own defense, the prosecution requested a recess to prepare for rebuttal.

The prosecution first called an airline employee to provide rebuttal testimony to discredit Logan's alibi. That airline employee testified that Logan Huntzberger's flight from San Francisco had landed at La Guardia in New York City and that he left the airport, which was evident from airport surveillance cameras. There was also video of Logan returning to the airport for his flight to London, just seven minutes before the flight boarded. This testimony was contradictory to the alibi evidence provided by the defense. The airline employee testified that Logan had told her that he had car trouble and had to take a taxi. She also testified that she smelled alcohol on Logan's breath and that his clothing was dirty.

The investigators for the prosecution tried to find the taxi driver, but they failed. The accident had happened so many months ago and there were so many taxi companies that could have been called to drive from Connecticut to La Guardia.

The judge ended that day, requesting that closing arguments and jury instructions to be delivered the following morning at 9 am.

"It's almost over," Jennifer Oliver said to Rory after court had been dismissed for the day. "I just wanted to tell you that you've done great, Rory."

"How do you think things are going?" Lorelai asked.

"I've got a good feeling," Jennifer told her. "We have a strong case and our evidence was supportive of our testimony. Plus, finding that airline employee was a blessing!"

"Thank you again for all of the hard work you've done," Rory said with a tired smile, shaking Jennifer's hand. "We'll see you tomorrow."


	16. The Verdict is In

_Author's Note: My story, "Accidents Happen," is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me! Here is another long chapter. I apologize for how long it took for me to post._

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Sixteen: The Verdict is In**

"Rory," Jess called upstairs from the living room of the Gilmore house to where Rory was arguing with her mother about the location and ownership of a missing sapphire blue cardigan. "Hey, Rory, your phone's ringing!"

"Can you grab it for me? Take a message, please!" Rory shouted down the stairs. "Thanks, Jess!" she called as an afterthought.

"No problem," Jess said, smiling up the stairs, listening to bits and pieces of a typical fast-paced Lorelai-Rory argument. He glanced at the caller id on the phone and recognized the name and number flashing on the screen.

"Rory, it's the DA!" Jess yelled up the stairs before he answered Rory's phone.

"Rory Gilmore's phone. This is Jess. Can I help you?"

"Hello, Jess. This is Jennifer Oliver from the District Attorney's office. I've just been notified by the courthouse. The jury has reached a verdict. The judge has scheduled us for nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Can you tell Rory for me, please?"

"Of course I will. Do you need to talk to her? She's just upstairs."

"No, that's okay. Have her call me, though, if she has any questions or wants to talk about tomorrow. I'll be in my office until at least six tonight."

"Alright, I'll tell her. Thanks, Ms. Oliver."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Jess."

"What's wrong?" Rory asked quickly. "What did they want?"

"The jury's in and they'll be delivering the verdict tomorrow morning at nine."

"Really?" Rory said quietly.

"Already? Man, that was quick!" Lorelai said, grabbing her phone and heading to the kitchen. "Don't worry. I'll rally the troops," she said. Rory and Jess both knew that meant she was calling Luke, Christopher, her parents, Sookie and Jackson, Lane, and everyone else in Stars Hollow, if not Connecticut.

"Quick is a good thing, right?" Rory said, talking even faster than her normal speed. "I mean, the jury only deliberated for a day, if that. A day! That's nothing! They must not have had a lot of questions about what they heard. You don't think the Huntzbergers paid them off, do you?"

"Whoa, Rory!" Jess said, trying hard not to laugh at the panic and borderline delusions Rory was stressing about. "Babe, you've gotta slow down." Jess pulled her into his arms and hugged her close to him. "You're jumping way ahead here. We don't know what the verdict is yet. Besides, I don't think Mitchum Huntzberger would risk trying to buy off a jury, especially when he's being investigated for tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice."

"I can't help it," Rory continued as she pulled away from Jess and started pacing around the living room. "I just know that Mitchum and Logan would both stoop that low both to keep Logan out of jail and to keep the Huntzberger name out of the tabloids."

"A time machine or mass memory modification, like that flashy-thing from _Men in Black_, is the only thing that will keep the Huntzbergers out of the tabloids," Jess said. "The damage has already been done. I don't think he'd risk further charges of jury tampering, either! Plus, I'm sure that the DA has already thought that Huntzberger might put his money where his mouth is, so I bet that they're watching their finances."

"Okay, everyone's planning on being at the courthouse tomorrow morning at 9 sharp," Lorelai said as she came into the living room to jump back into the conversation. "Luke's coming over after the dinner rush tonight and Sookie's making all your favorites for dinner tonight."

"Why?" Rory asked, confused.

"Why? Rory, have you met Sookie?"

"Sorry," Rory replied, forcing a smile. "Just wasn't thinking, I guess."

The next morning, in pure Rory Gilmore fashion, Jess and Rory arrived at the courthouse at quarter after eight, and that was even after a stop at Luke's for coffee and breakfast. Rory was nervous when she woke up, so she moved very quickly, ate hardly anything, and dragged Jess along with her. They sat in Jess' car for a while quietly before Jess broke the silence.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Rory said absently. "Oh, Jess, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm just preoccupied."

"That's obvious," Jess said. "And it's completely understandable, Rory. It'll be okay," he insisted and he hoped with all of his heart that he was right. Jess knew that it would crush Rory if Logan wasn't convicted for what he did to her, and Jess knew that he would be just as crushed. He wanted Logan to pay for what he did to Rory as much, if not more than, Rory did.

"Come on," Rory said. "I want to get a good seat."

"I don't think that will be a problem, Ror," Jess said, yet he willingly followed Rory into the court house.

"Where is everyone?" Rory asked after they waited inside the courtroom for about five minutes.

"They're not here yet. Don't worry, Rory. They'll be here soon. Court doesn't start for another half hour."

Almost as if they were on cue, the prosecution team came into the courtroom. ADA Oliver smiled and gave Rory and Jess a sly wink as she walked past them.

"She looks confident," Rory said.

"And that's a good thing," Jess reminded her.

"I know. I just wish I could be that confident, but I'm scared!" She bit her bottom lip and barely kept herself from crying. "If this goes bad, it's just a blip. It'll be one loss out of many, many cases she'll have in her career and it'll hardly mean anything. For me, it's my life, my whole universe. If this goes bad, I don't know what I'll do."

"What do you mean? What do you mean that you don't know what you'll do, Rory?" Jess asked, taking Rory's hand.

"He'll win. The truth about what happened, it'll be like I lied. Like I was wrong, and I hate being wrong and I haven't lied."

"I know you didn't lie, Rory, and from the looks on those jurors' faces, I don't think they think you lied, either. You are a trusting person by nature, Rory, and, for some reason, that part of you has evaporated. I know it's going to seem impossible, but you've got to try to trust in the system. Don't write it off just yet, okay?"

"You guys got here so early," Lorelai said with a smile, but Rory could read the shadows that were hidden behind that well-rehearsed smile. "Ah, your grandparents must not be here yet. I don't hear Emily berating anyone."

"Lorelai," Luke warned in a hushed voice as he took her hand.

"Have you heard from your dad? I thought he'd be here by now," Lorelai said, glancing at her watch and looking around.

"I talked to him last night. Dad said he'd get here as soon as he could. He has to drop Gigi off at the sitter before he got on the road. I doubt he'll be here by nine."

Just then, Richard and Emily arrived with Chris.

"I thought you had to drop Gigi off," Rory said.

"I did. Really, really early this morning," Christopher said as he hugged his oldest daughter. "Gigi sends her love to her big sister."

"Well, send my love right back to Gigi," Rory said. "How is she?"

"She's fine," Chris said. "She misses you and would love a visit when you get a free moment."

"We'll plan a weekend soon," Rory said. "I promise."

The happy family reunion was interrupted when the Huntzberger defense team entered the courtroom followed by the Huntzberger family flanking Logan. As they entered the room, Logan slowed as he passed Rory and her family.

"Rory, can we talk?" Logan said quietly. "Just for a moment."

"Logan, please," one of the attorneys said. "This is not the time."

"I just want to talk to her," Logan said. "Rory, please."

"Back off, Huntzberger," Jess said, glaring and furrowing his eyebrows.

"I want to talk to Rory. I swear, Rory, all I want to do is talk."

"I'm having an odd sense of déjà vu," ADA Oliver stated. "You did this on the first day of the trial, Mr. Huntzberger. It was inappropriate then, and it is inappropriate now."

"I just want to talk Rory," Logan pleaded. "Just five minutes. Please, Rory!"

"No," Rory said. "No way, Logan. It's way too late for that. I'm not going to talk to you. Please, just leave me alone!"

"Come on, Rory," Logan started, but Jess cut him off.

"She said no, Huntzberger. Let it go. Take no for an answer and back off."

"Mr. Mariano is right," ADA Oliver said. "Mr. Huntzberger, please join your attorneys and leave Miss Gilmore alone."

"I just want to talk to you, Rory."

"Enough, Logan!" Mitchum Huntzberger said. "Please, excuse us." Mitchum grabbed Logan by the arm and pulled him across the courtroom. "What the hell is the matter with you?" he muttered.

"All rise!" the bailiff announced to the courtroom, calling the court session to order as the judge and jury filed in.

The judge called upon the jury foreman to deliver the verdict, who handed a folded piece of paper to the bailiff, who in turn handed the paper to the judge. The judge unfolded the piece of paper and quickly read it. He then folded the paper and handed it back to the bailiff, who returned it to the foreman.

"The defendant will please rise," the judge instructed and the entire defense team rose to their feet. "The jury foreman will read the verdict for each charge."

"We the jury find the defendant, Logan Huntzberger, guilty of assault with a deadly weapon in the second degree, a Class B felony. We the jury find the defendant, Logan Huntzberger, guilty of reckless driving in the first degree, a Class D misdemeanor. We the jury find the defendant, Logan Huntzberger, guilty of leaving the scene of a crime in the first degree, a Class B misdemeanor."

Rory felt tears of relief pour down her face. Jess squeezed Rory's hand tightly and Rory felt her mother's arm squeeze around her. There were sighs of relief from the prosecution side of the courtroom while there were murmurs of disbelief from the defense.

The judge thanked the jury for their assistance in completing their civic duty. Once the jury had been dismissed, the judge informed Logan and the defense that sentencing would be later that afternoon at three o'clock. The judge reminded both sides of the courtroom that the gag order was in effect until after sentencing. After court was called into recess, the defense paraded out of the courtroom while the prosecution joined Rory and her family.

"Congratulations," Rory said, shaking ADA Oliver's hand. "Thank you so much for everything you've done, but especially for believing in me."

"Thank you, Rory, for helping me win the biggest case of my life! Now, I need to go back to my office. We're preparing to file charges against Mitchum Huntzberger for hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence, plus now we've got the perjury charges to consider."

"Come on," Lorelai said, wrapping an arm around Rory's shoulders. "We've got some time to kill before sentencing. We should get some food or something."

"Here here," Christopher agreed. "This is the perfect time to celebrate!"

"I'm okay with the killing time part, but I don't want to celebrate right now," Rory said. "But I am hungry."

"As always," Luke said with a smirk. "Come on. I'll close the diner for a private gathering."


	17. Hear the Wedding Bells Chime

_Author's Note: My story, "Accidents Happen," is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me! _

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Seventeen: Hear the Wedding Bells Chime **

Logan Huntzberger was sentenced to fifteen years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Assistant district attorney Jennifer Oliver told Rory that Logan would be eligible for parole after a minimum of five years. Following sentencing, two Hartford County sheriff investigators served warrants for the arrest of Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger for evidence tampering and hindering prosecution.

After sentencing, Jess drove Rory back to her mom's house. At home, Sookie had made enough food to serve an army of happy Gilmores.

"All of your favorites," Sookie assured Rory. "I promise."

"I just want to be alone for a little while," Rory said. "I'll be out in a little while," she promised all of them before slipping into her bedroom and shutting the door.

"Is she okay?" Lorelai asked Jess.

"I think she's burnt out," Jess said. "She just needs some time, Lorelai. She's dealt with a lot over the past few months and it all came to a head today. She's drained, both physically and emotionally."

"Been watching Dr. Phil again?" Luke asked with a smug smile.

"Don't start with me, Luke," Jess said.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"I think what Rory would want is for everyone to get back to normal. Lorelai, you and Luke put your lives on hold when Rory got hurt. You should pick up where you left off."

"What do you mean?"

"When are you getting married?"

"Oh, Jess, I don't know," Lorelai started, but Luke cut her off.

"No. We've put this wedding off too many times. First, it was for my daughter. Then, it was your daughter. Now, it's our turn." Luke got down on one knee and took Lorelai's hands in his.

"What are you doing?"

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, will you marry me on December 1st?"

"Why December 1st?"

"Does it matter?"

"It does."

"Because you love snow and because it would give us enough time to plan a beautiful wedding at the Dragonfly without rushing too much."

"But December 1st is two months away!"

"Do you want to do January?"

"No, I want to marry you sooner than that. Luke, I want to marry you now, in two months, or in two years. When doesn't matter so much anymore."

"So, December first?" Luke asked, kissing Lorelai's hand.

"December first."

"Who-hoo!" Luke crowed, hopping to his feet. He picked Lorelai up around the waist and spun them around.

"Oh, my God, Sookie! Sookie, we're getting married! We're getting married! We've got so much to do."

"I know, Lorelai! You're getting married! Here I am. Best friend of the bride reporting for duty, ma'am!" Sookie said with a salute. "Let's get started. We'll need to come up with a color scheme and a menu and guest list. We have to pick out dresses and flowers and invitations. We'll book a minister and a band for the reception."

"Okay, colors – red and black. Menu – up to you, Sook. Guest list, just close friends and family. Flowers – roses and babies breath. That knocked quite a bit off the list! Anyway, Sookie, will you be my matron of honor?"

"Of course I will," Sookie said, smiling and hugging Lorelai.

"And will you loan Davey and Martha out as ring bearer and flower girl?"

"They would be honored."

"Luke, I want to ask April to be a bridesmaid. Is that okay?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course it's okay, Lorelai. I think she'd like that," Luke said with a smile.

"She'll look beautiful in red," Sookie said. "And so will Rory, with all that beautiful dark hair. They'll both be stunning!"

"Jess, I'd like you to be my best man," Luke said.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Jess said.

"Good. I'll need your help to keep TJ away from me."

"It's going to be ugly," Jess said, referring to TJ and a wedding. "But I'm up to the challenge."

While the happy discussion of the wedding were taking place in the living room, Rory was lying on her bed in her bedroom with her iPod plugged into her ears. She was listening to a _Ramones _album while she was thinking about what had transpired since her break-up with Logan, which she had determined was the beginning of the end. Actually, the beginning of the end was when Logan went to London and when Rory went on without him, made friends without him, and had a life of her own, without him.

When Logan asked her to marry him, she panicked. She knew that she should have said no right away, but she was in such shock that she couldn't tell him no. He had done so much for her, and she really cared about him, but she didn't love him. She wasn't in love with him. He was not the man she was meant to be with.

He wasn't the Luke to her Lorelai. For years, she had seen her mother and Luke in love without even knowing it. They both needed each other and couldn't stay out of each other's lives whether they were in a relationship or not. Their love was real love, not just sex and not just convenience.

She told him no because she couldn't tell him yes, but what she had forgotten was that Logan Huntzberger was not used to taking no for an answer. She had expected that he would fight for her when he left for San Francisco, so when he didn't, Rory should have known she hadn't heard the end of it. She should have known better.

She didn't know what she should do. She needed to sort through her feelings to find out if she could ever find it in herself to forgive Logan for what he did. Part of her wanted to listen to Logan to find out what he wanted to tell her during the trial, but the rest of her wanted to yell at him to find out why. She needed to find closure with Logan so that she could move on with her life. She wanted to be happy. She wanted to be with Jess. She wanted to be free from Logan.

"I need to go back to therapy," Rory thought to herself.


	18. The Letter

_Author's Note: My story, "Accidents Happen," is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me! _

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter Eighteen: The Letter **

In the months leading up to Luke and Lorelai's wedding, Jess split his time between Stars Hollow and Philly. Rory continued to write freelance while helping to plan the wedding of the century. So many details were left to deal with and both Luke and Lorelai were up to their eyebrows. Seating charts, menus, cakes, floral arrangements, and program samples were tacked up around the kitchen. Rory was sharing her bedroom with a dress form and Lorelai's sewing machine.

Unable to find the perfect wedding gown, Lorelai decided to make one for herself. She bought yards of ivory silk and spools of sequins and beading. She designed a strapless dress with an empire waist, sequined and beaded waistline, and a flowing skirt and train. Lorelai designed and made the bridesmaid and flower girl dresses as well. The bridesmaid dresses for Sookie, Rory, and April were all the same brilliant shade of red satin but were each a different design. Sookie's dress had short sleeves and a full skirt, April's dress was a sleeveless tea-length dress with a high scoop neck and a ribbon tied at the waist, and Rory's dress was strapless with an empire waist like Lorelai's with beading and sequins. Martha's flower girl dress had a red velvet short sleeved top and bow with an ivory full tulle skirt.

Wardrobe for the men was much easier. Luke's tuxedo was black with a traditional tie and vest in ivory. Jess was going to wear a classic black tuxedo with a black tie and vests. Davey's tuxedo was black with a red bowtie and vest.

Lorelai's father was set to walk her down the aisle in his tuxedo and her mother was wearing a gold brocade suit as mother of the bride. After a long fought argument, Lorelai and Luke agreed to allow her parents to pay for the rentals for the ceremony and reception, like the chairs, aisle runner, alter arch, topiaries, candelabras, and table linens.

Lorelai put bouquet samples together. Her bouquet was going to be a cascade of red roses and ivy with ivory silk ribbon. The bridesmaid bouquets were hand-tied bouquets of red and white roses with red and ivory satin ribbon. Martha would carry a basket of red and white rose petals. Luke, Jess, Davey, and Richard wore rose boutonnieres. Luke's boutonniere had a red rose, rosebud, and ivy. Jess's, Richard's and Davey's boutonnieres were single red roses. Emily and Liz would wear red and white wrist corsages with ivy and ivory ribbons.

Sookie was in her glory planning her best friend's wedding menu and cake. The cake was a three-tier chocolate cake with black cherry pudding filling frosted with ivory fondant and covered with real red roses. The most recent version of the reception menu included a choice of three entrees: filet mignon, shrimp scampi, and Sookie's original creation, Chicken Lorelai as well as seven appetizers, two soup selections, a baby green salad, and raspberry sorbet. As a compromise, Luke and Caesar were catering the rehearsal dinner at Luke's featuring all of Lorelai's favorite junk foods. Truthfully, Luke and Caesar were making burgers, Pete was making pizzas, Al was making Chinese and Mexican, and Taylor was providing the ice cream.

Luke and Lorelai hired Hep Alien to play their reception along with Lane to DJ. They wanted an assortment of musical styles and having both live music and a DJ was the easiest way to have the best of both worlds.

Two weeks before Lorelai and Luke's wedding, Rory received a letter postmarked from the Connecticut State Penitentiary System that was stamped as being "reviewed and approved" by badge number 4324.

Rory stared at the envelope for days before she opened it. It was a large manila envelope with her address printed neatly on the front. There was no return address, but the postmark and approval markings made it obviously clear who the letter was from. Or at least she assumed it was a letter. She had no idea what else Logan would mail her and she didn't know anyone else but Logan who was in prison.

"You don't have to read it if you don't want to, Rory," Jess told her.

"I have to read it," Rory said. "I have to know what he has to say for himself. I need some closure, Jess," she told him. "I need to do this for me."

"There might not be closure in there," Jess pointed out. "Reading it might do more harm than good."

"I spent weeks feeling afraid of remembering what happened. Then, when I remembered, I felt afraid of what those memories meant. Now, I have the opportunity to at least glimpse why what happened to me even happened. I have to take the chance."

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know that. Plus, the beauty of reading it is that if I don't like what I'm reading, then I can stop and throw it away."

"Rory, you've read terrible books from cover to cover. It's like eating potato chips: once you start, you'll never be able to stop!"

"I'm a big girl, Jess," Rory said. "I need to know what's in this envelope."

"You do what you need to do, Rory. Reading the letter won't change anything between us. I promise."

"I know that," Rory said, smiling. "But it might change some things for me."

Rory stared at the sealed envelope for three more days until she finally opened the letter Thanksgiving morning. She didn't read it right away, just looked at the impression from Logan's handwriting through the pages of yellow legal pad paper. After a few more hours, she gathered the courage and strength to open and read the letter, which was dated one month earlier.

_October 22, 2007_

_Dear Rory,_

_I am writing with the hopes that you will read this letter, but with the knowledge that you may never read it and that you may never know, believe, or understand. I need to confess what really happened and why. I also need you to know what role my family and I played to try and keep me off the police's radar and out of jail for what I did to you._

_No words will ever come close to telling you what I am feeling and how sorry I am. It was an accident caused by my poor judgment and my reckless, dangerous behavior. I never meant to hurt you, Rory, but I know that I did, both physically and emotionally. _

_I had a four hour layover at LaGuardia between the legs of my flight from San Francisco to London. As soon as I landed, I had an uncontrollable need to see you. It was the first time since your graduation and our break-up that I'd been on the East Coast and I couldn't be that close to you without trying to see you again, so I rented a car and drove to try and find you. _

_I never made it to Stars Hollow because I got into an accident on my way there. I got turned around and ended up backtracking to Hartford so I could get my bearings. I was drunk, Rory. I don't have any excuses for myself. I drank myself silly on the plane. I was drunk and speeding and I misjudged the curve. The gravel on the side of the road pulled me off the road and I couldn't correct it in time. When I saw your car, it was too late. I side-swiped your car and then I saw you, I just didn't know that it was you. I couldn't stop, Rory. I hit you. God, I saw your body fly off after it bounced off my bumper and I was so scared! I stopped to see what I had done, to see if I could help, and then I saw that it was you._

_I will never be able to get your face out of my mind, Rory. Seeing you that day is permanently etched in my brain. You were already bruising and bloody and your eyes were swelling. Your legs were crumpled underneath you and they were obviously broken. You tried to talk, but you either couldn't or I couldn't hear what you were saying. I talked to you. I apologized to you. I know you couldn't hear me, but I was serious then and I'm serious now. I am sorry for what I did to you. All that I can do is apologize and I cannot change what happened._

_I drove off, which was, again, a stupid move since I was drunk, stressed, and scared out of my mind. I stopped at a payphone to report the accident. I said there was an accident, a woman was hurt and to send an ambulance. I didn't give my name for obvious reasons and I wiped my fingerprints from the receiver and the push buttons with my shirt. When I got back into the car, I could hear sirens in the distance. I was afraid for you, but I was more afraid of getting caught. I was afraid of what actually happened._

_I called my father for help and Mitchum went into damage control mode. Besides telling me how stupid I was, he told me where to dump the car and to get into a cab to go back to the airport, to get on the plane, and to go to London. I left the car outside the fence at an impound lot in Hartford and had the cab driver pick me up at the bar across the street. The cab picked me up about a half hour later. I tipped the cabbie $500, so he was more than happy to stay silent. I barely made it to the airport before my plane took off. I got on the plane and went to London. My dad told me to forget about you and Hartford and that he would make it all go away._

_He tried to make it go away, but he didn't take into account a few things. First off, he didn't think you would survive the accident. I didn't think you did, either. I thought you were dead, Rory. God, I thought I killed you. I kept looking through the obituaries for your death notice, but it was never there. Then, knowing that you survived the accident, I never thought you would remember anything. He thought I was stupid, letting you see me and risking everything, but I need to do one thing to make sure I haven't completely turned into my father. I needed to confess everything. I'll be spending the foreseeable future in prison and I want to be sure that my parents pay for the roles they played in the cover-up. _

_Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger tampered with evidence in order to keep me from facing prosecution. I should have been charged with a DWI, too, but it was too late by the time I was actually arrested. Mitchum contacted the rental car company and paid to have a rental car detailed, claiming that I had hit a deer and that my insurance would pay for the repairs. The insurance paperwork was faked. I am not sure whether my mother manufactured the paperwork or paid someone to do it. The car was detailed by a BMW dealership in Hartford. They would have the original bill of sale. They probably did a lot of things that I don't even know about but I want to make for damn sure that they get prosecuted for their actions._

_I will never be able to apologize to you enough. I will never be able to make up for what I did to you. I will never be able to tell you how happy I am that you're alive and that you've healed. I hope that you're happy in your life and with Jess. It doesn't matter to you, but I am trying to turn my life around. I am in AA and it's actually working. I hope you will consider writing back to me someday, but I am not expecting you to. All I hope for is for justice to be served._

_I love you, Ace, and I always will._

_Logan _


	19. Moving Forward

_Author's Note: My story, "Accidents Happen," is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me! _

**Accidents Happen**

**Chapter 19 Moving Forward**

Rory wanted closure and closure is what she got when she read the letter from Logan. She finally had proof of why, she had proof to have justice be completely served. She did one last thing for Logan and for herself to put the accident and the trial behind her: she delivered the letter to the district attorney's office.

"Rory, thank you so much. This letter will make all the difference in this next trial," ADA Jennifer Oliver said after reading the letter.

"About this trial," Rory started. "What role do I need to play?"

"As much as you'd like," Jennifer said. "You aren't necessary like you were before. And I am guessing from your tone and from your face that you don't want to be a part of it."

"I'm sorry."

"Rory, it's okay. I completely understand and it's exactly what I would do if I was in your shoes."

"Thank you again for all your help," Rory said as she stood to leave.

"Just doing my job." Jennifer Oliver shook Rory's hand and walked her out. "And, Rory, if you need anything, just call."

When Rory left the DA's office, she finally felt the closure she had needed. It wasn't just closure from the accident, but it was closure from the end of her relationship with Logan. It was the closure that she needed to move forward with her relationship with Jess.

The Jess Mariano that she was involved with now was the man that the boy she loved had grown up to be. She had always loved him. She now knew that she always would. He was the man that she needed now and forever.

"Where are you?" she asked when he answered his cell.

"At the diner. Where are you?"

"We need to talk. Meet me at the bridge in fifteen minutes."

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything is perfect."

Jess clicked his cell off in mix of confused feelings.

"What's wrong?" Luke and Lorelai asked in unison. Luke was working behind the counter and Lorelai was sitting at the counter drinking a cup of coffee.

"Apparently nothing," Jess said. "Which could mean everything. We're meeting at the bridge."

"Here," Luke said, handing Jess a thermos of coffee and a bag of doughnuts. "You're going to need them."

"What do you think this is all about?" Luke asked Lorelai when Jess left the diner.

"I don't know," Lorelai said. "And it's driving me crazy! They're up to something, Luke, and I have no idea what it is."

"They're probably planning something for the wedding," Luke said. "Like a surprise for us or something."

"You think?"

"Just an idea, but the maid of honor and the best man meeting with each other five days before the wedding could have something to do with a surprise shower or something."

"I don't know. Jess seemed pretty clueless."

"He looks that way a lot," Luke pointed out. "Or it could just be some Rory-Jess relationship talk. Did they have a fight or something?"

"Like I said, I don't know, hence the crazy!"

"Lore, everything will be perfect for the wedding," Luke said. "I promise."

"So I'm blowing this out of proportion?"

"Way out of proportion!"

When Jess got to the bridge, he stood and watched Rory as she paced. He could see that she was rehearsing whatever she was about to say.

"Hi," Jess called to Rory.

"Hi," Rory said, turning on her heel and facing Jess. "Come here."

Jess walked to Rory and she wrapped her arms around him in a big hug.

"What's going on?" Jess said. "Not that I don't love holding you, but what's up, Rory?"

"I had closure," Rory said excitedly. "I realized that I needed to put my past behind me before I can move forward. So, I did."

"You did?"

"I had closure," Rory repeated. "You need to keep up."

"Rory, what closure?"

"I put my past behind me. I realized when I read the letter that I had never had closure with my relationship with Logan. We broke up and when I started to move on, he hit me with his car, making me lose my memory and the use of my legs. Once I got my memory back, there was the trial and then there was the letter."

"Rory, you're killing me here."

"I am ready to move on again. I didn't realize that I had stopped moving on until I read the letter. I need to start moving on again. We need to start moving forward again."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been amazing to me the past months after the accident, with my recuperation, and with the trial. But I haven't been the best to you, and I am so sorry for that. So, I want us to focus on us again." 

"I didn't think you were ignoring me or ignoring us," Jess said with a hint of defensiveness in his voice.

"I know you didn't, which makes me love you even more. We talked before about starting over and trying again. You hinted that we should live together. I think we should talk about it."

"Well," Jess said, sitting down on the bridge. "Let's talk about it."

"First off, I love you."

"I love you, too."

"And Mom and Luke are getting married on Saturday. They need their own time alone together to start their own family. They don't need me around all the time."

"Your mom might not agree with that," Jess pointed out.

"It doesn't matter," Rory said. "I can't live with my mommy my whole life."

"I don't want us to move in together because you're ready for a change, Rory."

"I know that. But, what you don't completely understand is that I was planning on moving to Philadelphia before the accident. I was going to get a job, get an apartment, and try to see if we could start again."

"That was then. Some things have changed."

"You're right. I've got a job that I can do anywhere. We've already started again and I still want to move forward with our relationship. Now all I am lacking is a place to live."

"And you want to live with me?"

"You don't want to live with me?"

"I didn't say that. It's just that I've been doing some thinking of my own."

"What about?"

"That it might be time for me to make a change, too. I've spent most of my life moving away from what's the best for me. I want to come home."

"What?"

"Rory, I got offered a new job in New York City for Embry-Masterson Publishing. I would be a associate copy editor."

"Jess, this is amazing! Why didn't you tell me before? I am so happy for you!"

"I was going to wait until after the wedding. I didn't want to take anything away from Luke and Lorelai."

"This will take nothing away from them," Rory assured him. "They'll be thrilled for you. I am thrilled for you. Are you taking the job?"

"I'm thinking about it," Jess confessed. "And this conversation is making my decision a lot easier. I don't want you to give up everything for me, and I don't want to give up everything for you. Relationships are about compromise, so I think us moving to New York would be a pretty good compromise."


	20. Always and Forever

**Chapter 20 Always and Forever**

_You are cordially invited to join _

_**Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes**_

_As they marry on December first at four o'clock in the afternoon_

_At The Historic Dragonfly Inn in Stars Hollow_

_Reception to immediately follow the ceremony_

In the days before the wedding, all of the finishing touches were being put on the wedding. While Lorelai and Rory were busy with the extra details for the ceremony and reception, Jess and Luke were busy doing other things. They were moving Jess back Stars Hollow and preparing for Luke to move into the Gilmore house with Lorelai when they got back from their two-week-long honeymoon to Hawaii. Jess and Rory were going to temporarily move into Luke's apartment until they found someplace to live in New York. Since he and Rory would be moving themselves into the apartment, Jess agreed to move Luke's stuff into the house while they were gone.

Luke had struggled to keep their honeymoon destination a secret from Lorelai, but he realized it was easier because he didn't tell anyone. By not telling Jess, he didn't risk Jess telling Rory and then Lorelai couldn't weasel anything out of Rory. Luke packed a suitcase of summer dresses and bathing suits for Lorelai and put in a second empty duffle bag for the clothes and souvenirs she would buy. He let Lorelai pack her own case with make-up and other toiletries, making sure he had plenty of sunscreen.

The day before the wedding, Emily, Sookie, Rory, April, and Lorelai spent the day at a fancy spa in Hartford, which was a special bridal party treat from Emily. Everyone spent some time in the sauna and in the hot tub before they got manicures, pedicures, and massages. That evening, they had a wedding rehearsal at the inn. Michel was in his glory as the wedding coordinator. Everything was perfect, but there was a lot of attitude as well. Michel enjoyed being in charge and Lorelai just let the wedding happen. After the rehearsal, there was the dinner. Everyone had a lot of great food and just spent the night relaxing before the big day.

April and Sookie spent the night with Lorelai and Rory at the inn so they could all get ready the next day. The ceremony was at four o'clock in the afternoon, but Lorelai wanted to have some fun with the girls before the wedding. The morning of the wedding, Sookie made a huge breakfast and everyone showered before heading to the salon to get their hair styled. Lorelai had her hair set into beautiful long ringlets. April's hair was curled with a curling iron and pulled back with a red ribbon that matched her dress. Sookie and Rory both wore their hair up. Sookie's hair was pulled into a French twist and Rory's hair was pulled into a high ponytail with ringlets pinned up and falling loose. Another gift from Emily was a makeup artist who came to the inn to apply all the girls' makeup for the wedding.

Sookie had made a fabulous lunch of delicious sandwiches and salads the night before and the girls ate, laughed, and gossiped for an hour until it was time to get dressed. The photographer was going to be there in an hour. He was going to meet with the guys first before taking the pictures of the girls. Then, after the ceremony, they would take the rest of the pictures.

While the ladies were putting the finishing touches on themselves, Luke and Jess were walking around in their tuxedos in a combination of boredom and nervousness.

"We're outnumbered," Luke said quietly as he felt a rant coming on. "There are just too many women in this wedding! Why did I ever agree to this?" Luke asked hypothetically. "We could have eloped. There's is too much fluff, too much estrogen, way too much fanciness!"

"Hmm?" Jess mumbled absently-mindedly.

"Huh?" Luke said. "Jess!"

"What? Oh, sorry," Jess said as soon as he came back into reality.

"Come on, Jess! What the hell are you so nervous about?" Luke asked Jess. "I'm the one who's getting married today!"

"Just thinking," Jess replied absent-mindedly.

"About what?"

"I don't know, stuff I guess."

"What kind of stuff? You're not backing out of the best man gig, are you? You're not backing out on Rory, are you?"

"What? God, Luke, no! Nothing like that, I promise."

"Then what? What's got you so worked up?"

"Just life," Jess said. "Our lives and how much things have changed and how much they will change."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, after today, you'll be Rory's step-father. So, if Rory and I get married, you'll be my uncle and you'll be my step-father-in-law! That's sort of crazy, isn't it?"

"Just a little," Luke said. "But it's the good kind of crazy. It's the Gilmore kind of crazy, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I know just what you mean," Jess replied.

"So, Jess," Luke said, "you're thinking about marrying Rory? When did this happen?"

"I said nothing of the sort," Jess said defensively.

"Okay," Luke said. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Upstairs at the inn, the ladies of the bridal party were putting the finishing touches on themselves in preparation for the wedding. There was about an hour before the ceremony and there was still something important left to do.

"Okay, Mom," Rory said. "Are you ready for your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?"

"Yes," Lorelai said excitedly. She had asked Rory to collect these required elements for her wedding day. "Gimme!"

"First, here is your something old." Rory handed her mother a small blue velvet bag.

"I don't get it," Lorelai said after she emptied the bag, fingering the delicate lace. "A lace pocket?"

"That's a piece of lace from Gran's wedding gown. Gran wanted you to have it on your wedding day, so Grandpa saved it for you."

"Are you serious?" Lorelai said. "This is from Gran's wedding gown?"

"Yes," Rory said. "There's a note in the pocket. I'm not sure if the note's from Grandpa or from Gran, but it's a note for you on your wedding day."

"Here," Sookie said. "I've got a pin. Lorelai, hike up your skirt!"

"What? Why?" Lorelai asked, more than a hint of surprise in her voice.

"I'm going to pin the lace to the hem of your dress. Come on, Lorelai! Hike up your skirt! Lemme see those legs!"

"I get the lace, but why the pocket?"

"The pocket is for your something new," Rory said, handing her another velvet bag.

"It's a penny," Lorelai said, her voice sounding unimpressed.

"This is not just any ordinary penny," Rory said with a smile. "It's a brand new, never been circulated 2007 penny that was minted in Philadelphia."

"Oh, wow," Lorelai said. "I now know that I have Jess to thank for this one."

"Give it to me," Sookie said from the floor. "I'll put it in the pocket."

"Your something borrowed," Rory said, giving her mother a velvet box.

"I know what this is," Lorelai said with a smile as she opened the box. It was the tiara her mother had worn when she and her father were married. "I have always wanted to wear this."

"And I have always wanted to see you wear it on your wedding day," Emily said from the doorway. "That's why I am letting you borrow it."

"Mom, thank you," Lorelai said. "I love it."

"You're welcome," Emily said. "Here, let me pin it in."

Lorelai sat down and Emily carefully pinned the tiara into her hair and arranged her ringlets.

"You look beautiful," Emily said. "Just how I knew you would look on your wedding day. The tiara is the perfect finishing touch."

"Now, last but not least," Rory said, "it's your something blue." Rory handed her mother a pink striped Victoria's Secret bag.

Lorelai pulled the pink tissue paper out of the bag to find an ivory lace and blue satin garter with a tiny silver heart charm dangling from it.

"Ooh, sweetie, this is so cute!" Lorelai said.

"Come on," Sookie said from her place on the floor. "Let me have a leg."

"I was wondering why you didn't stand up," Lorelai said as she lifted her foot and let Sookie slip the garter up her leg.

"Figured it was easier this way," Sookie said as she struggled to stand up. "Now you look absolutely perfect!"

"Really?" Lorelai said, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. She smoothed her hands over her dress self-consciously.

"I have never seen a more beautiful bride," Emily said proudly.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Richard Gilmore said from the doorway. "You are beautiful, Lorelai. Are we ready to go downstairs?" he asked. "The guests have started to arrive."

"I think so," Rory said, glancing at her mother. She was anxious to see Jess in his tuxedo.

"I just want a few minutes by myself," Lorelai said. "I want to take in this moment so I can remember it forever."

"We'll head downstairs," Rory said, referring to her, Sookie, April, and Emily.

"I'll bring her downstairs in a few minutes," Richard said. "I promise. Lorelai, I will be right outside." He shut the door behind him, leaving Lorelai alone in the room with her thoughts. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror and spun to study her reflection from every angle. She smiled at herself and did a little happy dance.

"I'm going to be Mrs. Luke Danes," Lorelai said to herself. "Lorelai Danes. Lorelai Gilmore-Danes. Oh, God, my life is finally going to be perfect!" With one last private smile to herself in the mirror, Lorelai turned on her heel to leave the room. "I'm ready, Dad."

The inn looked beautiful inside and out. The windows were lightly frosted and snow was lightly falling outside. Soft piano music filtered throughout the room. Luke and Jess were standing at the alter in front of the blazing fire and the beautiful red rose topiaries at the end of the long ivory aisle. On either side of the aisle sat the most important people in their lives, their family and friends. The photographer was walking around snapping pictures before he arranged himself to take photos of the wedding party as they walked down the aisle.

"Are you ready?" Michel asked. His voice was giddy with the excitement of his power as wedding coordinator.

"I'm ready, Michel," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Okay, Mrs. Gilmore, first it's you as mother of the bride." Emily walked down the aisle smiling and took her place in the first row.

"April, then Sookie, Davey and Martha. Down the aisle," Michel said. "Make sure you walk in time with the music," Michel called after April as she started down the aisle. "Sookie, here is Davey's pillow. Don't worry, Jess has the real ring. Remember, Martha has to sprinkle the rose petals. Sprinkle them. Here's her basket. Make sure she doesn't drop them all in one place."

"The rose petals don't mean anything," Lorelai said.

"Lorelai, this is my wedding!" Michel snapped.

"Excuse me?" Lorelai asked, her tone twice as snappy as Michel's had been.

"You misunderstand me, Lorelai. It's my wedding to coordinate," Michel said, correcting himself, flushing with embarrassment, emphasizing the word coordinate. "Let me worry about the details, Lorelai, and you just worry about being the beautiful blushing bride that you are."

"Okay, we're off," Sookie said, taking Martha's and Davey's hands and leading them down the aisle. "We'll see you down there," she said to Lorelai.

"Now, Rory," Michel said. "It's your turn."

"I love you, Mom," Rory said with a smile and a hug before walking down the aisle.

"I love you more," Lorelai said, blowing her daughter a kiss.

Lorelai watched as Rory walked down the aisle. She smiled watching the expressions on the faces of the men in their lives from the end of the aisle. Luke smiled like a man proud of a girl he had always thought of as a daughter. Jess stared in amazement at the woman he was in so much love with. Lorelai looked at the little girl all grown up, much as she had looked at herself in the mirror. They weren't the Gilmore girls anymore, and she had never been happier.

"Okay, Lorelai," Michel said. "It's your turn." Michel cued the pianist to change to playing the wedding march.

"Come on," Richard said, offering his arm. "Your future awaits."

Everyone rose to their feet and turned to watch as Lorelai walked down the aisle on her father's arm. Lorelai smiled to herself as she watched Luke's expression change to one resembling the face Jess had been making a few short moments earlier. When the reached the alter, Richard kissed Lorelai on the cheek and shook Luke's hand before sitting beside Emily.

Rev. Skinner began as the wedding guests sat. "We're gathered here today to celebrate the love affair and witness the marriage of Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes. It is said that marriage should not be entered into lightly, and no one in this room would ever think that this union is something the bride and groom have entered into hastily. I am blessed to be the minister to preside over this ceremony and I am going to boogie down with you all at the reception."

Rev. Skinner paused to open the Bible to the first marked passage. "First, a reading that was chosen by the bride and groom from Ecclesiastes: _'__Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.'_ Amen."

"Amen," the guests and wedding party murmured in reply.

"Now, a special reading, an excerpt from _The Bridge Across Forever_ by Richard Bach: _'A soul mate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we've found the right person. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.'_ Amen."

"Amen."

"And now for the vows," Rev. Skinner said, smiling. "Luke and Lorelai, will you please join hands." Rory took Lorelai's bouquet from her and held it while Luke and Lorelai held each other's hands. "Luke and Lorelai have written their own vows. Luke, you can start whenever you are ready."

"Lorelai, my friend, partner, and lover forever and always," Luke began, looking deeply into Lorelai's eyes as he spoke. "I adore what I already know about you and I want to learn everything about what I don't. I want to be a father to Rory and to our children, and to fall in love with you a little more every day. I want to grow old with you. I love you, Lorelai, and I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us, always and forever."

"It's your turn, Lorelai," Rev. Skinner said, smiling.

"Luke, you are the love of my life. You have been my friend and my lover, and now you will be my partner and husband as well." Lorelai paused to take a deep breath, struggling to hold back tears. "I am blessed to finally stand here, in front of our family and friends, and vow to love you forever, be there for you through thick and thin, be a mother to April and to children of our own. I love you, Luke, always and forever."

"Now, the rings," Rev. Skinner said. Jess handed both wedding bands to him. "Luke, place this ring on Lorelai's finger and repeat after me: I give you this ring as my promise of love, trust, and pride that you are my wife. You will wear this ring and the world will know that I am yours and you are mine." Luke did as requested, followed by Lorelai, who did the same thing.

"By the power invested in me by the great state of Connecticut and before God and these witnesses, I pronounce you husband and wife. Luke, you may kiss the bride."

"Finally!" Luke grabbed Lorelai and kissed his new wife deeply. The guests all clapped and cheered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Luke Danes!"


	21. Two Sides of the Same Coin

_Author's Note: My story, "Accidents Happen," is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me! _

**Chapter 21 - Two Sides of the Same Coin**

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome the wedding party! First, let's give it up for the adorable ring bearer and flower girl, Davey and Martha Bellville!" Lane said from her microphone and with a smile. The guests in the dining room cheered for those children as they walked into the dining room, making a beeline for their father.

"The daughter of the groom, April Nardini, the lovely junior bridesmaid," Lane said happily. "And the beautiful and talented Sookie St. James, who is multi-tasking as matron of honor and chef for today's festivities." April and Sookie both walked into the dining room and sat at the head table. "As the maid of honor and the best man, ladies and gentlemen, we have my best friend, the gorgeous Rory Gilmore, the daughter of the bride, and the dashing Jess Mariano, nephew of the groom."

"Somebody put something in her drink," Jess muttered as they entered the dining room hand in hand, smiling broadly, and they walked to the head table.

"Nah," Rory said with a flirtatious smile. "You are dashing!" Rory winked and waved playfully at Lane as they took their places at the head table.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for. And, I must say, we've been waiting for a very, very, very long time! We want to welcome our guests of honor. Please stand up and raise your glasses to Stars Hollow's own Luke and Lorelai, Mr. and Mrs. Danes!" Luke and Lorelai came into the dining room amid clapping, hooting, hollering, and whistling. As soon as they got to their place at the head table, the loud clinking of silver against crystal beckoned the newlyweds to kiss.

"Before we get dinner on the table, there are a few guests wishing to make toasts to the happy couple. First, the father of the bride, Mr. Richard Gilmore."

"Thank you, Lane," Richard said, taking the microphone from Lane. "And thank you everyone for coming today to celebrate my daughter's marriage. Her mother and I have been waiting for this day for some time, but today is a day that this joyous event was meant to happen, neither one minute earlier nor one minute later. Today is the day that I gained a son, a partner for my daughter, and a step-father for my granddaughter. Today, I want to raise my glass to my beautiful daughter and to her wonderful husband. To Lorelai and to Luke."

"Now, for the best man, Jess Mariano." Richard handed the microphone to Jess before he returned to his seat.

"I am a man of few spoken words, but a man of many on paper," Jess said, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket with a sly smile, which was met with soft laughter. "So, please forgive me for writing down notes for what I planned to say tonight." Jess paused and took a sip of water before continuing to speak.

"When I first saw Luke and Lorelai together, I thought they were already a couple. I, like the rest of Stars Hollow, could see that they were obviously made for each other, like two sides of the same coin. For some reason, though, it took them a bit longer to see and then to admit to what was right in front of them. Now that they are starting their lives together, it is with great pride and pleasure that I toast my uncle and my new aunt into this next stage, which is their future. I am so happy that you are both such a big part of my life. You are both my family and my friends. And, Lorelai, I promise that I will never, ever, refer to you as my aunt again. To Luke and Lorelai."

"To Luke and Lorelai," the guests chorused and drank the toast.

On cue, servers started bringing the first course out of the kitchen. Soon, the dining room was a buzz of dinner conversation and the din of silver and china. The courses were brought out quickly. Sookie was unable to sit back and relax during the serving. She wanted to be in control. Michel had to kick her out of the kitchen three times during the evening.

After dinner was cleared, Lane got back on the microphone to announce the bride and groom's first dance, which was to Lane and Zack singing a duet to the classic Nat King Cole song, _Love_. The next dance was a special song for the families to dance. Lorelai danced with her father and Luke danced with his sister, Liz, to The Beatles' song _In My Life_. The bridal party danced to Eric Clapton's song _Wonderful Tonight_ each with a significant other in their life: Sookie and Jackson, Rory and Jess, April and TJ. After all the formal dances, Lane got to doing her job as DJ, which was to get the party rocking.

About an hour into the dancing, it was time for the bouquet and garter tosses. Rory gave Lorelai her toss bouquet, which was a smaller version of her own bouquet, and Jess handed Luke a gaudier satin, lace, and feather version of the garter that was on Lorelai's leg.

"I still get to take the garter off her, though, right?" Luke said with a flirty wink.

"Oh absolutely," Lorelai said in her sexy voice.

"Oh, gross!" Rory and Jess said in unison as they walked away, leaving Luke and Lorelai in the middle of the dance floor.

"Okay, ladies first," Lane said cheerfully into the microphone. "I need all the single women right now, front and center. And I really do mean all of the single women. Even you, Rory Gilmore, since single means that you don't have a wedding band on your finger!"

The women moved onto the dance floor and jockeyed for position. Rory tried to get herself to the back of the pack. Once everyone was in position, Lane blasted Kool & the Gang's _Ladies Night_. Lorelai spun backwards and rocketed the bouquet over her shoulder. The bouquet was like a Rory-seeking missile that was launched directly at her. Even the uncoordinated, non-athletic Rory Gilmore was able to catch it. As soon as it was in her hand, everyone whopped and hollered.

"Congratulation, Rory Gilmore! Now, come on up here and hug your mom!" Lane announced excitedly into the microphone. The photographer snapped some pictures of them together with the bouquet. "Now, it's time for the garter toss, but first things first. Luke, my man, you've gotta get that garter off Lorelai!"

Luke took Lorelai's hand and walked her to the chair in the middle of the dance floor. Luke pulled his baseball cap from his back pocket and put it on as the music started playing. The song he picked was _You Can Leave Your Hat On_ by Joe Cocker.

With a big, broad smile, Luke reached under Lorelai's dress for a moment before he went under head first. Lorelai started to giggle, but quickly started laughing loudly as Luke emerged from beneath the layers of skirt with the garter between his teeth. Luke got to his feet, kissed a blushing Lorelai deeply, and helped her up from the chair. He escorted her off the dance floor and safely tucked the garter into his pocket, switching it with the garter he would be tossing.

"Alright, all you single gents, it's time for you to get out on the floor and see which one of you will be lucky enough to put the garter on Rory," Lane said, getting the guys onto the dance floor. Luke stood at the front of the group of men and launched the garter with his fingers like he was using it as a sling shot. Just like the bouquet, the garter flew right at Jess.

Jess had a vested interest in catching the garter, not just to prevent anyone else from touching Rory or dancing with Rory, but to keep up with the possibility that fate really did exist. As the story goes, the woman who catches the bouquet and the man who catches the garter are supposed to be the next to get married. And, as it turned out, Jess was a new found follower of fate.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Jess Mariano caught the garter. I'm starting to wonder, was this toss rigged? The maid of honor and the best man, who happen to be dating and Stars Hollow's other resident super couple, both make the catch? Oh, well. Come on, Jess, and get your photo taken with your uncle Luke."

Jess made his way to Luke and posed for the pictures before the music changed to _Going to the Chapel_. Jess walked to the dance floor, which had been cleared except for the chair where Rory was sitting. Jess gave Rory a sly smile and hammed it up for the camera a bit before getting down on his knee to slip the garter up her leg. After the requirements were completed, Jess took Rory by the hand and let her away from the chair to dance through the rest of the song.

"So, do you think they really rigged it?" Rory asked.

"Are you kidding? Of course they did."

"I really wish that they didn't," Rory sighed quietly.

"Why? Rory, we're talking about your mom and Luke. Rory, what's going on?" Jess asked quickly, feeling deflated as he thought about the engagement ring he had looked at in the store window earlier that week.

"It's like they cheated," Rory said. "You know I can't stand it when people cheat!"

"What? Oh, Rory, sweetie, I swear, nobody cheated! Your mom threw the bouquet at you and Luke threw the garter at me. They threw them to us, Ror, but we caught them. Besides, it's a tradition, the maid of honor and best man thing. Everyone in this room expected us to catch the garter and bouquet," Jess said.

"I know. I don't know. I'm sorry."

"That was the most incoherent series of sentences ever uttered."

"I guess it's just the fact that here we are, in front of everyone, as a couple and now they're going to be expecting something from us."

"Rory, isn't this exactly why we're moving to New York and getting out of Stars Hollow?" Jess asked emphatically. "We will never be able to be just us if we stay in Stars Hollow. We won't be able to get our lives on track while we're trying to live up to everyone else's expectations. We just need to be us, you know?"

"I know."

"We need to see what it's like to be Rory and Jess without everyone butting in!"

"Do you really think that everyone butts in?" Rory asked.

"Oh, come on," Jess said. "We're talking about Stars Hollow here, Rory. Think about it, will you? Knowing other people's business is the town's pastime. This way, we'll be able to do things our way and it won't matter what Taylor or Babette and Miss Patty think."

"You're right. God, Jess, you're absolutely right! I'm sorry. I've been acting totally crazy lately."

"There is nothing for you to apologize for. You've been perfect."

"You're biased," Rory reminded him with a smile. "I guess today is just too emotional for me, you know? I mean, think about it. My mom and Luke are finally married. They're finally going to get their chance to be happy."

"They have waited for this for a long time," Jess said. "We've all been waiting for this for a long time, Rory. I just don't want us to wait that long to be happy. Just look at how much time they have already missed out on. I don't want us to make the same mistakes they did."

"And we won't," Rory said firmly. "We'll learn from their mistakes. We won't let history repeat itself. I'm not Lorelai junior. Well, I sort of am, but we aren't identical. We're not the same person. I'm not her clone. And you aren't Luke. We'll do things our way, Jess. I promise!"

"I know. You're right, Rory, you are absolutely right! This is our chance to be happy, too. For now, let's just live our lives one day at a time."

"That sounds perfect to me," Rory said, smiling and kissing Jess softly. "Absolutely perfect." Jess twirled and dipped Rory as the song ended with applause.

Lane quickly put on a fast-paced song to keep the momentum of the reception going. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, especially the bride and groom. They danced to every song, talked and laughed with all of their guests, and ate and drank to their hearts' content. They cut the cake and fed it to each other, playing with the frosting.

As the party started winding down, Luke grabbed the microphone from Lane.

"It's my turn to make a toast," he began. "I want to toast my wife, Lorelai, who is a beautiful bride today and always. Thank you for giving us another chance at happiness. Thank you for accepting my daughter into our life and letting me be a permanent part of your daughter's life. Thank you for accepting my proposal and for making me the happiest man in the world! April, you are a wonderful daughter and I am excited to watch you grow and to give you a bunch of little brothers and sisters to boss around. Rory, I've always thought of you as my daughter and now I am lucky enough to actually have you as one. It's been an honor to watch you grow and I will be proud to be your future children's grandfather. Jess, you gave me a crash course in being responsible for someone else, and you gave me a run for my money. I look at you now and see the young man I always knew you could be. Now, if she's ready, I want to take my lovely bride on our honeymoon."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Lorelai asked.

"I'll tell you when we get to the airport," Luke promised.


	22. Nine Months Later

**Chapter 22 Nine months later…**

"Luke, come on!" Lorelai bellowed from the living room. She waited a few minutes before yelling again. "Luke! What the hell are you doing up there? You don't primp. You don't shave. And I've seen the closet – nothing but flannel as far as the eye can see! Hurry up! They'll be here any minute!"

"I know. Keep your pants on!" Luke yelled from upstairs.

"That's what got us into this mess in the first place," Lorelai mumbled, rubbing her hand absent-mindedly on her fat, pregnant belly. She was sitting on the couch in the living room with her feet propped up on a pillow that was on top of the coffee table.

"I heard that!" Luke yelled downstairs.

"I have no idea how your daddy does that," Lorelai said, talking to her unborn child. "You'd better watch it. With his supersonic hearing and my Kreskin-esque ability, you'll never have a shot at getting yourself into any trouble!"

"Who are you talking to?" Luke asked as he ran down the stairs buckling his watch as he ran.

"The baby," Lorelai said.

"And how's our little slugger doing this morning?" Luke asked, leaning down to affectionately touch the baby bump.

"Oh, we passed by morning a few hours ago," Lorelai said, breathing deeply. "This baby has been boogying down since four. That must be after Daddy, cause I am so not an early riser."

"Nothing wrong with that," Luke said. "But I'm sorry you didn't get much sleep."

"It's the final stretch," Lorelai said. "I hope, anyway. If I get any bigger, I swear, the baby's going to be big enough to walk down the birth canal!"

"You've never been more beautiful."

"You're a wonderful liar," Lorelai said as Luke leaned down to kiss his wife.

"They're here," Luke said, looking out the living room window.

"What?" Lorelai said.

"You've been yelling that they'd be here soon, and they're here." He saw Jess and Rory's car pull into the driveway and rushed outside to meet them.

"Well, I was only saying that to light a fire under you. I didn't think they'd get here this early. Wait! Wait, I can't move that fast," Lorelai said. "Come back. Please, Luke. Come on, I can't even get up!"

"Lorelai, I am sorry," he said, coming back inside to help his wife to her feet.

"Thanks. Come on, let's go. They're here!" Lorelai waddled outside onto the porch as Luke hopped down the steps to help Jess and Rory in with their bags.

"Hi, Mom!" Rory exclaimed, running across the yard and up the front porch steps to hug Lorelai. "Oh, my God, you're huge! Hi, little baby," Rory said, kneeling in front of her mother and hugging and kissing her stomach. "Hello! I'm Rory. I'm your big sister. I'm here now, so you can come out now! Come on, make our mommy happy and be born!"

"This kid's dying to get out of here," Lorelai said. "I'm just not so sure about it's sense of direction. I'm trying to talk it into traveling south, but I think it's following the sound of my voice. I think that there're claw marks in my uterus. Come here. Give Mommy a hug. Aw, kid, I've missed you!"

"I've missed you, too, Mom," Rory said.

"You moved to New York, not New Delhi," Lorelai said. "You could come home whenever you want, sweetie, you know that."

"I do, but I can't come home all the time, otherwise you would never get the chance to miss me!"

"You're not fooling me. You and Jess have a great, young life in New York. You don't need your fat mother anymore."

"I'll always need my fat mother," Rory said, smiling.

"Your mother's not fat," Luke said. "She's been keeping our baby safe and warm in her uterus until he or she is ready to be born."

"Aren't you the proud Papa," Jess said to Luke with a smile.

"He paid way too much attention during our prepared childbirth class," Lorelai said with a smile. "He took notes, he's been reading _Mr. Spock_ and _What to Expect When You're Expecting_, and I've caught him studying!"

"That's _Dr. Spock_, Lore. Anyway, it's good to see both of you," Luke said, punching Jess in the arm. "Thanks or coming home. Lorelai refused to give birth without Rory."

"So, when is she ready to pop?" Jess asked.

"She was due two weeks ago. Two very long, extremely hot, craving-full weeks ago."

"Yeah, but the cravings have been fun. Sookie's thinking of writing a pregnancy cookbook and we might be adding some new dished to the menu.

"Mom, why didn't you let the doctor induce labor? We were ready to come home as soon as you needed us."

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"No induced labor. No drug of any sort until the nice anesthesiologist brings me my epidural."

"Really?"

"Really."

"So you haven't had any caffeine? At all?"

"Nope. No coffee and no chocolate. I want this baby to be perfect, just like you were."

"So, when are you going to have your first cup of coffee?" Jess asked.

"As soon as I can drink liquids. I thought about breastfeeding, but another year or so without coffee? No way! God, this pregnancy has been the longest nine months in my life!"

"Even longer than when you had me?" Rory asked.

"Well, yeah. Rory, I didn't know I was having you until my fourth month, and I hadn't developed my coffee addiction, so I don't think I felt the same when I was pregnant with you. Besides, I was 24 years younger then!"

"And you really didn't find out if I'm having a sister or a brother?"

"No. You were a surprise, and little Pippi or little Sport will be a surprise, too."

"Little Pippi or Sport?" Jess asked. "You're kidding, right?"

"We're still fighting about names," Luke explained.

"Please. Keep fighting. I don't want my little cousin to get picked on."

"You just shush," Rory said. "Hey," she said, smiling factiously, "you could always go with Lorelai."

"But I did that already," Lorelai pointed out. "Your name is Lorelai, remember?"

"Look at George Foreman," Rory retorted. "He's got at least six sons, all named George."

"We're not going to name the baby Lorelai," Luke and Lorelai said in unison.

"At least you agree on that," Jess said.

"Come on, Mom, come back inside and sit down. You must be exhausted."

"Oh, kid, you have no idea."

"Well, what names are you fighting over?" Jess asked.

"We've each got two names picked out, one for each, but our stubbornness is rearing its ugly head."

"And are you going to share with the class?"

"I like Addison for a girl and Colby for a boy," Lorelai said.

"And you don't," Rory said to Luke.

"Since I had to give up caffeine, I gained thirty-seven pounds, and I'm the one pushing the child out of my vagina," Lorelai said, "my vote should have more weight. And speaking of weight, at my appointment last week my doctor estimated the baby's weight to be nine and a half pounds, give or take a couple ounces."

"She does have a point," Rory said. "Look at her, Luke. She's huge and miserable. Come on, let her name the baby! She did fine with me."

"She likes the name Addison because she likes that _Grey's Anatomy _show," Luke said. "I don't think we should name our daughter after a television character. And Colby is fine for a little boy or a dog, but it doesn't sound like a name for a man."

"But we're having a baby, Luke, not a grown-up. And definitely not a dog! If you think the name Colby sounds like a dog's name, it can never be our baby's name!"

"Well, what about you?" Jess asked Luke. "What names do you like?"

"Well, I like the name Kathryn for a girl, after my mother and William for a boy, after my dad."

"Both nice, traditional family names," Rory said. "They're strong names. Katie and Billy are both good nicknames, and when they're older, we can call them Kate and Bill. Or Will."

"But I'm not nice and traditional," Lorelai said. "You know that. I am crazy and unconventional."

"You'll work it out," Rory said. "You'll compromise like you always do and whatever name you choose, my baby brother or sister will have the perfect name."

"Okay, enough baby talk. Come on and sit down, both of you. Talk to me, please, about anything that does not have to do with babies. So, Jess, how's work? Think you've read any future best-sellers?"

"I've read some good stuff, but unfortunately, most of the stuff I've read is a bunch of crap. It's too bad I don't get to pick what we publish! Actually, it a good thing that I don't pick what we publish, since then we'd be out of business."

"He's working on a new book," Rory said proudly.

"It's a children's story," Jess said. "It's nothing."

"It's sweet and it's not nothing!"

"You're biased."

"And you're pigheaded."

"You two sound like your mom and me," Luke said. "You and Jess are too young to sound like an old married couple."

"Whoa! What the hell is that?" Jess said, jumping up from the couch and away from Lorelai and the rush of water that was coming out of her.

"Mom, oh my God. It's time! You're having the baby!"

"Either that or I just wet myself! Oh, baby, you have no idea how happy I'll be to get you out of me! I can't wait to finally meet you. Luke, come on. We've got to go to the hospital. We're going to have our baby!"

"Luke? Hey, man, are you okay?" Jess asked.

Luke was frozen in place, unable to move due to the shock of reality. He had always known that he wanted to have children with Lorelai. He was thrilled when they got pregnant and he knew that Lorelai would give birth to their baby, but he didn't expect to feel so afraid of their baby. He was amazed that something so small and helpless could evoke such a feeling of fear in him. He thought about the birthing video that he and Lorelai watched in class, about the blood and the screaming, and about the goo-covered baby. He'd been concentrating so much on Lorelai and the pregnancy that he sort of forgot that when the baby was born, that there would be an actual baby. Babies are so little and fragile and they cry, poop, spit up, and pee constantly.

He'd never been involved in the baby stage. When Jess lived with him, he was a teenager, he inherited full-grown and fully functional April and, like Rory, was born with the maturity of an adult. He rarely babysat Doula and even then got to give her back. Now, he was the dad. He needed to be responsible for a family now and he was scared to death.

"Luke!" Jess yelled, punching him hard in the arm. Jess had Lorelai's bag slung over his shoulder.

"Where is she, Jess?" Luke asked, looking at the wet and empty couch. "Where's Lorelai?"

"She and Rory are in our car. Come on, man, you have got to snap out of it. It's baby time and Lorelai needs you. Come on, Luke. Come outside and get in the car now. I'm driving you both to the hospital."


	23. We're Having a Baby!

**Chapter 23 We're Having a Baby!**

"We got here about twenty minutes ago," Rory told Sookie. "The doctor is in with her now, so I don't know much yet. Her water broke and on the way to the hospital, the contractions started. They were about seven minutes apart."

"She'll probably be there for a while. I'll be on my way soon. I'm just waiting for Jackson so he can stay with the kids. I'll bring some food. I'm sure you'll be hungry. Who knows how long this will take. Hey, how's Luke doing?"

"He's fine."

"Okay, how's Luke really doing?"

"Oh, Sookie! He's a complete mess. He's totally freaking out. Mom threatened to kill him twice and to file for divorce three times on the way here."

"Well, that was to be expected. Rory, sweetie, that's totally normal. When I had Martha, I tried to strangle Jackson with my IV tube. Listen, I'll call Michel and let him know what's going on and I'll be on my way as soon as Jackson gets home. So, I'll see you soon, kitten."

"Thanks, Sookie." Rory hit end on her cell phone and started dialing again.

"Who are you calling now?" Jess asked.

"Grandma and Grandpa," Rory said.

"Great," Jess said with a sigh. "Just perfect." Richard and Emily Gilmore had yet to come to fully accept Jess as a part of Rory's life, even though things had gotten much better between the four of them in the recent months.

"Hey, do you think you can find us some coffee?" Rory asked with a hopeful smile.

"Sure," Jess said. "Coming right up." As he left, he kissed Rory softly, grazing his lips softly over her forehead. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Thanks," Rory said to Jess before quickly speaking into the phone. "Hi, Grandma. It's Rory."

"Well, good morning, Rory. Now, this is a pleasant way to start a Saturday morning. How are you, dear?"

"I'm doing well, Grandma, and I have some good news. I'm at the hospital with Mom and Luke. Mom's in labor," Rory exclaimed excitedly. "She's going to have the baby!"

"Well, it's about time," Emily said. "Richard," she called. "Lorelai's having the baby. Well, how is she? How is Lorelai doing?"

"Her water broke about an hour ago," Rory explained for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. "Contractions started on the way to the hospital and they were seven minutes apart. She's in a labor room with the doctor now."

"And where is Luke?"

"He's in the labor room with her, too."

"How's he doing?"

"Fine," Rory lied. "They're both fine. And excited."

"Well, call us again when you know something. No sense all of us wait. Children are born in their own time. We'll be by later on once our grandchild's been born. Thanks, Rory, for calling."

"You're welcome, Grandma."

"And Rory, please tell your mother and Luke that we're thinking of them."

"Okay."

Rory ended that call by flipping her phone closed. She sighed deeply and tucked the phone into the pocket of her jeans, knowing she'd want east access to it later. She looked at her watch, noting that it was only ten-thirty. It was hard to believe that only four hours earlier she had been lying naked in bed with Jess in their apartment in New York. Four short hours before, Rory felt like she and Jess were the only two people in the world, and now she was waiting for her mother to give birth to her new baby brother or baby sister.

It was a strange and slightly frightening thought. Rory would be 24 years older than her new sibling, which was a more typical mother-child or aunt-niece or nephew age difference. Her mother was far from old and even further from conventional, but even so, being that much older than this new baby was going to take some getting used to. Just the simple fact that she would now be sharing her mother with another child was a difficult concept to grasp.

Rory had always been the center of her mother's life. They'd been a pair, a duo. She'd never really shared her mother's affection with anyone else before. Sookie was her mom's best friend, the same way Lane had been Rory's best friend growing up, but their respective relationships with Sookie and Lane were not the same as Lorelai and Rory's relationship with each other.

None of either Lorelai's or Rory's relationships with men could compete with their bond. When Lorelai and Max were involved, there was no change. Jason didn't cause a blip. Lorelai's on-again off-again fling and short-lived marriage to Christopher, besides being a bit creepy, did nothing but fulfill one of Rory's childhood fantasies. Even her mother's epic love affair with Luke didn't hold a candle to the mother-daughter bond of the Gilmore girls. The same with Rory: Dean, Logan, and Jess couldn't change their relationship.

Now, Rory was afraid that the great Gilmore bond was going to be brought down by a new little Gilmore. With Rory living in New York with Jess, Lorelai would have plenty of time to spend with the baby. Lorelai and the baby would bond. The baby would be Lorelai's best friend and pal. Lorelai wouldn't need her anymore.

"What is wrong with me? I am such a spoiled, selfish little brat," Rory said with another sigh.

"No, you're not," Jess said from behind her.

"Jess! You scared the crap out of me!"

"But I come bearing coffee," Jess said, holding out the Styrofoam cup as a peace offering.

"Oh, you are a good man, Charlie Brown," Rory said, grabbing the cup. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Any word about your mom?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"No, not yet. Not a word. I'm starting to get antsy."

"I'm sure she's fine, Rory. She's in the early stages of labor. Her contractions are still fairly irregular and far apart. These things take time."

"When did you get so Dr. Oz?" Rory asked.

"I read a lot. Can we take a few steps back and talk about the selfish brat thing?"

"No way," Rory said, shaking her head vehemently. "I'm a terrible, horrible person, Jess. Way worse than a selfish brat."

"Rory, come on! Tell me."

"Why? So you can tell me how terrible and horrible I am?"

"I could never do that, because you could never be terrible or horrible! Come on, spill it."

"I'm 24 years old," Rory said finally.

"Yeah, I know. And I'm 25. Rory, what's wrong with you?"

"I am 24 years old and I am jealous of my unborn baby brother or sister because I'm going to have to share my mommy's love, affection, and attention." As soon as the words left Rory's lips, she leaned her head on Jess' shoulder and started to cry.

"Aw, sweetie," Jess said, biting his lip to keep from laughing at what was, to Rory, a disaster but was, in reality, no big deal. "What you're feeling is normal sibling rivalry. It's not normal for you because you've been an only child your whole life."

"I'm not an only child," Rory reminded him.

"Gigi doesn't count," Jess said. "It's not the same because you and Chris don't have the same relationship as you and Lorelai do. This baby will not have anything close to the relationship you have with your mother. It's not possible. She was so young when she had you," Jess continued. "I know that's not a great epiphany or anything, but it's true. And because she was so young, you're more like peers and you see things the same way rather than the way mothers and daughters see things. And now that you're all grown up, you're more like sisters than mother and daughter. Now your mom's older and she and Luke are married, so she won't be a single mom. She's in a different stage in her life and this baby will have a more traditional mother child relationship with her and the baby's going to have a dad around all the time."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Did it?"

"Sort of," Rory said. "You don't think I'm a brat?"

"No. You are not a brat," Jess said.

"I agree. You're not a brat," Luke said from the hallway.

"Luke! How's my mom?" Rory asked, jumping to her feet. "How's the baby? How are you?"

"Wow, that is a lot of questions. How does you not being a brat fit into this?"

"Never mind me. Come on, tell me how my mom is?"

"She's fine. The doctor says that the labor is progressing normally. She's three and a half centimeters dilated, she's having contractions five minutes apart and her blood pressure's good. They're monitoring the baby's heart rate and it's strong. They have no idea how long the baby will take. Your mom wants to see you, though. Go on in. She's in room 429."

"Okay," Rory said, taking another sip of her coffee. "Hold this," she said, handing the cup to Jess. "I don't want to taunt her with it." She started down the hall before doubling back to grab a breath mint from her purse. "She'll be able to smell the coffee," Rory said, smiling.

"This is true," Luke said with a smirk. "Hey, can I borrow your phone? I want to call April. Let her know she'll be a big sister soon."

"Sure," she said, pulling the phone from her pocket and tossing it to him with a vicious grin on her face. "And if you're feeling up to it, you can call Grandma and give her an update."

"Nah, I think I'll leave that up to you."

"Just what I thought you'd say," Rory laughed. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Take your time, sweetheart," Jess and Luke said in unison, looking at each other with very similar shocked expressions on their faces.

"Okay, creepy," Rory said, a confused expression on her face, before spinning on her heel and heading down the hall.

Jess stayed quiet while he listened to Luke's conversation with April and continued to stare at his shoes as Luke spoke to his sister, Jess' mother, Liz to let her know.

"So how's she doing?" Jess asked when Luke got off the phone.

"Lorelai, April, or your mother?"

"Lorelai."

"She's having a baby," Luke said. "My baby. Our baby. She's swearing up a red streak and keeps threatening to divorce, disembowel, and drown me in amniotic fluid."

"Eew."

"She's amazing. She is having her body poked and prodded and dilated for our child's birth."

"Again, I say eew."

"But I can't believe she's going through all of this pain for me, for us. All I had to do with this entire baby process was the fun part."

"Luke, for the love of God, you need to stop talking!"

"Sorry," Luke said.

"You're freaking out," Jess said.

"I am not freaking out."

"You're freaking out."

"Do you think she'll be able to tell?"

"No. No, I think that she'll be dealing with the pain and the entire childbirth process."

"And Rory?"

"She'll be able to tell that you're freaking out."

"No, I mean how is she doing with this?"

"She's having her own little freak out."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. She's fine. Don't worry about her."

"I have to worry about her. It's part of my job."

"Well, take a break from worrying about her," Jess suggested. "I'll take your Rory worrying duty until after the baby's born. I'm always on Rory worrying duty, so it's no trouble."

"So, things are really serious between the two of you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Jess asked defensively.

"It's a fair question."

"It's an odd question to ask while your wife is in labor with your child!"

"The timing of the question might be a little off, but that does not change the question."

"Well, don't you think it's a personal question?"

"No, not really," Luke said after a beat of thought.

"Come on, Luke. You know how I feel about Rory."

"No, I think I know how you feel about Rory."

"You have been hanging with Lorelai too long. Your logic's twisted and you're way too pushy."

"When I look at you, sometimes it's like looking in the mirror," Luke said. "We're so alike, and not in the good ways. And I think about all of the time I wasted, all those years, by not telling Lorelai how I felt about her. We could have gotten married and started our family sooner if I hadn't been a stubborn, pigheaded jerk!"

"And that reminds you of me?" Jess asked, slightly insulted. "That's just great." Jess was quiet for a moment. "Yes," he said.

"Yes? Yes what?"

"I figure the only way to get you to stop asking me all these crazy questions is to submit myself to them. Yes, things are serious between me and Rory. I love her. I've loved her forever and I will love her for the rest of my life."

"Now that sounds familiar."

"Why are you so interested in me and Rory?"

"Because you and Rory are my family," Luke said. "And I want my family to be happy."

"Well, we're happy," Jess said. "Just like clams. And, for the record, this whole baby thing is making you act like a woman."

Down the hall, Lorelai was wearing a hospital gown and was propped up in bed and covered with a sheet and a thin blanket with her feet up in stirrups. Rory was brushing her mother's hair to pull it up into a ponytail to get it off her face.

"How are you doing?" Lorelai asked as she popped an ice chip into her mouth, crunching it loudly between her teeth.

"Me? I'm fine. I'm not the one having a baby today! How are you?"

"I'm having a baby, Rory. I'm not going to lie to you, kid. It hurts like hell."

"I hear it's like doing the splits on a case of dynamite."

"Plus, I think this kid's got a good grip on my uterus. It might be coming out in the heat of the moment, which, when all is said and done, might not be a bad thing. Then maybe I won't get myself into this mess again!"

"So besides the baby and the uterus, things are okay?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, but, I must say, things are a lot different then they were when I was having you!"

"How so?" Rory asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Much better drugs," Lorelai said with a smile. "There have been a lot of pharmacological improvements over the past 24 years. Now, will you tell me how you're doing?"

"I told you, Mom, I'm fine."

"You've never been good at that."

"What?"

"The lying. Come on, spill. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just had a slight case of sibling rivalry. Nothing fatal, definitely nothing contagious, so don't worry."

"Oh, honey. I was wondering how you felt about this. It's a really big change for all of us, but we'll make it through together!"

"But it's not a big change," Rory said, talking faster than normal. "Siblings are born all the time. Many of them were probably born in this hospital! Besides, I already have one. I've got Gigi."

"Well, it's a big change for me, and I need your help. No offense to your dad, but your relationship with this kid is going to be very different from your relationship with Gigi. There is no way I can do this without you."

"How much of this is the epidural talking?"

"Epidurals can't talk. Kid, I can't do this without you!"

"Yes, you can, Mom. You did this all by yourself," Rory said, referring to herself. "I'm all grown up, and you did it by yourself. And now, you've got Luke. You don't need me."

"No, Rory, I need you. I have had you in my life longer than anyone else. You're my daughter, but more importantly, you're my friend, the best friend ever and nothing is going to change that. I'm going to need you and, more importantly, your baby brother or sister is going to need you."

"Aw, Mom!" Rory said, tears glistening in her eyes as she hugged her tightly. "I love you."

"Aaaahhh! For the love of everything good and pure," Lorelai screamed in pain.

"Come on, Mom. You're fine. Just breathe, in through the nose, out through the mouth. You'll be okay. I'm right here. Here, Mom, hold my hand," Rory said. "I should have reread that chapter in _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ on labor." Lorelai took her hand and squeezed, hard. Rory bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming in the pain from her hand.

"Oh," Lorelai sighed. "Hmmm. There, another one down."

"Are they all that bad?"

"Yeah, but it's all worth it," Lorelai said, smiling but obviously tired.

"I'll go get Luke. I'll be back," Rory said, slipping out of the room, silently screaming in pain.

"Rory? What's wrong?" Luke asked as he and Jess rounded the corner.

"Mom needs you." Luke ran into the room to be with Lorelai and Jess pulled Rory into his arms.

"What happened?" Jess asked, noticing Rory gingerly cradling her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I let her hold my hand," Rory said, letting tears of relief and pain fall from her eyes.

"Okay, come on," Jess took Rory and walked her to the nurse's station. "Excuse me," Jess said to the nurse behind the desk. "My girlfriend was helping her mother through labor and she let her hold her hand."

"Ooh, big mistake. Here, let me take a look," the nurse said, gently taking Rory's hand. "Well, you need an x-ray, but I think it's broken. I'm going to page a doctor to come take a look."

"Thanks," Rory said, smiling and trying to ignore the pain.

"Come on, sit down," Jess said, leading Rory back to the waiting room. "Just put your head down," he said and Rory leaned her head against his shoulder. "I am so sorry you're hurt."

"It'll be a funny story I can share with the baby," Rory said with a snorting laugh.

"That it is," Jess said, smiling. "I can't believe your mom broke your hand!"

"I know. Poor Luke!"

At 3:19 pm on September 24th, Luke and Lorelai Danes became parents. While they had each been parents before, separately, they were now parents together of one perfect, healthy baby. There were a few minor complications during labor and delivery, none having anything to do with either Lorelai or the baby.

Rory's hand was broken in two places and, thankfully, did not require surgery. The doctor cast her hand, put her arm in a sling and gave her a prescription for the pain. The medication made her a bit loopy, which was amusing for Jess, but made it impossible for Rory to go back in and spend time with Lorelai. Before long, Rory fell fast asleep in the waiting room.

While trying to keep Lorelai in the dark about Rory and her hand, Sookie ended up sitting with Lorelai to give Luke a break because Jess refused to possibly catch a glimpse of anything south of Lorelai's border. Sookie, snacking on ice chips with Lorelai, got a cold freeze headache.

And, in the grand finale, as the baby's head was crowning, Luke caught a peek, freaked out at the sight of Lorelai in all her glory and he fainted flat out onto the floor, taking a delivery nurse down with him. After the doctor delivered the baby, she helped pull Luke into a chair while the nurses cleaned and checked the baby.

When Luke woke up, aided by smelling salts, he saw her. Lorelai was holding their newborn baby in her arms and was staring at the baby adoringly. She looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her, even with her hair wet and matted and her eyes dark and tired. Because the baby was wrapped in blue blanket, Luke assumed that he had a son.

"It's a boy?" Luke asked. "We have a boy?"

"Yeah, hon, we have a baby boy."


	24. Presenting Baby Danes

**Chapter 24 Presenting Baby Danes**

"He has got to be the prettiest baby ever!" Rory said as she stared at her brother. She didn't trust herself to hold the baby yet because of her broken hand and the medication-induced stupor she was currently in.

"My son's not pretty," Luke said quickly. "My son is handsome. I'll give you cute even. But he's a boy and boy's aren't pretty!"

"Okay, then. Your son might be handsome, but my son is pretty!" Lorelai said, grinning at her husband. "Yes, you are," she said, turning her attention back to the baby. "You are, you are, you are!"

"Well, the suspense is killing me! What's the kid's name?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, Mom, spill it. What's the baby's name?"

"For right now, Baby Boy Danes," Lorelai said. "We can't decide on good enough name."

"He just doesn't look like a William to me," Luke said. "But, I'll tell you, he definitely doesn't look like a Colby!"

"Well, then, it's a good thing I brought you this," Jess said. "I found it in the gift shop and thought it might help."

"Ooh! Open up to the boys names," Lorelai said.

"First off, what kind of name do you want?" Rory asked, still watching her brother sleeping in her mom's arms.

"Something strong," Luke said.

"Something traditional, not trendy," Lorelai said. "Nothing like Granger or Bailey or anything like that."

"Okay," Jess said. "What about Bradley?"

"No," Luke said.

"Samuel?"

"No," Luke and Lorelai said in unison.

"At least you can agree on the names you don't like," Rory pointed out. "That's a big step!"

"Caleb?"

"No," Luke said. "I knew a Caleb once and he was a jerk."

"Hey, what about Gilmore?" Jess asked. "Gilmore Danes?"

"Gil would be a great nickname!" Rory said.

"Actually, we had thought about Gilmore as a middle name," Lorelai said.

"What about Liam?" Rory asked. "Keeping with the 'L' tradition."

"I don't think so. It sounds too much like lame," Jess said. "What about Ryan?"

"I like Ryan," Lorelai said. "Add it to the list."

"Ryan Gilmore Danes. It has a nice ring to it," Rory said.

"Maybe," Luke said, studying his son intently. "But I don't think he looks like a Ryan, either."

"Well, does he look like a Matthew?" Jess asked.

"I've always like the name Matthew," Lorelai said. "What do you think?" she asked Luke.

"Actually, so have I. And he looks like a Matt."

"Matthew Gilmore Danes. I like it," Rory said.

"Matthew. Is that your name?" Lorelai asked her son. "You're Mommy's little Matty. I'm totally sold. How about it, Daddy?"

"My son's name is Matthew. Here, let me hold him," Luke said, sitting down beside Lorelai.

"Of course," Lorelai said, carefully handing Matthew to Luke.

"I'll go get the paperwork from the nurse," Rory volunteered and slipped out of the room, grabbing Jess on her way.

"Do you need help?" Jess asked.

"No. I just thought they should have some quiet time alone with Matthew. You know, some family time for just them. They're just getting to know each other."

"I don't know how long that will last," Jess said, nodding in the direction of the elevator. Rory looked up and saw her grandparents getting off and walking toward them.

"I'll stall them a bit," Rory said. "Go get the paperwork for the birth certificate," she said, quickly pecking him on the cheek as he slipped around the corner.

"Grandma, Grandpa! You're here!"

"Rory! My God, what happened to your hand?" Emily asked.

"Oh, this? No big deal. It was just a little accident."

"Rory, did Jess do this to you?" Richard asked in a hushed, concerned tone.

"What? No. No! Grandpa, it really was an accident. I was sitting with Mom while she had a contraction and she took my hand and squeezed. Hard. The way she gripped my hand, well, she broke it."

"Your mother broke your hand? You can't be serious."

"So, while Mom was in labor, I was getting x-rays. It's pretty funny, actually, or that could be the vicodin talking. I can't wait to tell Matthew the story."

"Matthew?" Richard asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Matthew Gilmore Danes. My brother; your grandson."

"Grandson? She had a boy?" Emily asked.

"Yes, she did. Grandma, I'm so sorry. I thought Sookie told you. Mom and Luke had a baby boy."

"All that Sookie said was that the baby was born and healthy. I didn't realize until we were off the phone that she didn't tell us the baby's sex. Actually, come to think of it, I do think Sookie said 'he' and I didn't think anything of it. No matter now. Ooh. A boy, Richard. A grandson. Lorelai had a baby boy!"

"Matthew! Matthew Gilmore Danes. A good, strong name. And that Lorelai choose Gilmore for the middle name, I am honored."

"He looks like a Gilmore," Rory said with a smile. "He's strong, sturdy stock; as Great-Grandma would have said."

"I'll have to see that for myself," Richard said with a wink. "But Gilmore genes are strong and sturdy, like Trix would have said."

"Yes, where is she?" Emily asked. "Where are they?" she rephrased. "Can we see them?"

"Sure. They're just down the hall. Here, follow me."

Jess was waiting outside the room, leaning against the wall. When he saw her, he gave her the look, which clearly said that Jess needed to get out of the hospital. Rory assumed that her feelings echoed Jess', so she made an executive decision.

"Just let me get Grandma and Grandpa settled and say goodbye to Mom, Luke, and Matthew," Rory promised. "Then we'll get out of here."

"Okay," Jess said, smiling. "I'll wait right here."

"Look who's here," Rory said, poking her head into the room ahead of her grandparents.

"Hi, Mom. Hey, Dad," Lorelai said, glancing away from the baby for a second to smile at her parents before returning her gaze to her child. "Come on in and meet your grandson."

"Hey, Mom. Jess and I are going to get out of here," Rory said quickly, not wanting to argue with her mother. "We're headed home. I'm exhausted. We're exhausted. We just need sleep."

"Okay, go get some sleep and rest that hand. I am so sorry about that," Lorelai said, apologizing for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Really. I guess I just don't know my own strength."

"It's okay, Mom," Rory said, forgiving Lorelai yet again. "We'll come by tomorrow and hopefully I'll be able to hold my brother tomorrow."

"And if not, maybe Jess will take a chance and hold his cousin," Luke said. Jess had kept himself at arms length from the baby since his birth. "I'm going to stay here tonight," Luke continued, "so don't wait up and make sure you lock all the doors."

"Yeah, because Stars Hollow is such a hot-bed for breaking and entering! Ooh, and sweets, can you feed Paul Anka?"

"You got it," Rory said. "Goodnight. And goodnight, widdle Matty," Rory said, gently touching his cute little baby nose with her pinky finger. "I could just eat you up!"

"Goodbye Rory, the bestest big sister in the whole wide world! I'll see you later!" Lorelai answered in a high pitched baby-talk voice.

"Yeah, like that's not going to get old really fast!" Luke said.

"You better get used to it, Daddy!" Lorelai replied in the same voice.

Jess joined Rory as she walked down the hall to the elevator and held her good hand in his, pulling her head close and kissing her cheek with a loud pucker and smacking sound.

"What was that for?" Rory asked, laughing, as they got onto the elevator.

"No reason in particular. I don't need one, do I?" Jess asked.

"Never," Rory said. "You can hug and kiss me as much as you want whenever you want!"

"You better watch it," Jess said, kissing her again. "I might just take you up on that!"

"Looking forward to it," Rory said with a sly, flirtatious smile that suddenly morphed into a huge, wide yawn. "I am so sorry! It's been a long day."

"No problem," Jess said. "And it has been a long day. I'm exhausted, too, babe. I'm running on fumes right now and my tank's rapidly approaching empty."

"So, do you want to go straight home or do you want to stop and eat?"

"The fumes and empty apply to my energy level as a whole. I'm tired and hungry equally. And since you haven't eaten since breakfast, so I know you need to eat."

"What do you want to eat? We can cook something at home or we can go out."

"Well, I am guessing that there is little normal food at your mom and Luke's," Jess said. "It the cupboards are anything like the fridge, we'll starve. The whole pregnancy thing did something crazy to Lorelai's eating habits."

"Crazier than normal? You're kidding, right?"

"Did you look in the fridge? It's a very scary place. Grape jelly, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, oranges, olives, ham salad, half a bagel, a chicken wing and a pint of leftover Chinese from who knows when!"

"Have you ever looked in that fridge before? That all sounds pretty normal to me!"

"No wonder you're so skinny," Jess said. "You've be genetically altered to consume massive quantities of food and let the nutrients slowly release so not to let you stare to death. And, it explains why your mother's best friend is a chef and her husband owns a diner. It's the survival of the fittest."

"We could go to Luke's," Rory said. "Caesar will probably make us the contents of the entire menu. Or we can order Chinese or pizza or something. Or we could stop at the market and pick something up."

"Large pizza," Jess said. "Fully loaded. Call now, since it's Saturday night it might take a lot longer than usual. Then it'll be there right after we get home."

"Are you just craving pizza or are you hiding from the paparazzi?" Rory asked.

"Is it a crime that I want some alone time with my girl?"

"No," Rory replied. "But is it a crime that I want to hide a bit?"

"Not at all," Jess said. "Do you think the town knows all about Luke, Lorelai, and Matthew yet?"

"Probably not," Rory said. "I think that Sookie and Jackson are the only people in Stars Hollow that know the baby was born, so I'm pretty sure that we could be fairly incognito. Mom asked Sookie to spill the beans to Miss Patty tomorrow afternoon to buy everyone a little time."

"I still don't want to share you with anyone," Jess confessed. "I just want it to be you, me, and a pizza in bed tonight."

"That sounds perfect."

They were both quiet on the drive back to Stars Hollow from Hartford. They were about five miles outside of town when Rory decided to ask Jess a question that had been nagging her all day.

"Why didn't you hold Matthew?" Rory blurted out at supersonic Gilmore speed.

"What? Sorry. I'm a little slow on the uptake, so I missed that one."

"You didn't hold Matthew."

"No I did not."

"Any special reason?"

"None in particular," Jess said, letting his voice trail off as he gazed out the window into nothing.

"Why didn't you hold him?"

"I guess I didn't have the urge," Jess said. "Today was his first day of life. He needs to bond with his parents."

"But he could bond with his cousin, too. I wanted to bond with him myself, but the hand thing hindered my ability to bond. You, on the other hand, were totally free to bond and yet you didn't get within fifty feet of him. It was like he had a restraining order against you or something."

"I didn't want to break him," Jess said.

"What are you talking about?"

"He's a baby. He's so small and I think that I might break him if I touch him. I don't want to break him."

"You're so cute when you're nervous!"

"And you're so not funny!"

"I don't get why you're so nervous. He's just a baby! It's sweet that your nervous, but it sort of makes me nervous."

"Why? The only reason you didn't hold Matthew is because of the hand."

"Well, because of the hand and the dopiness. But you're afraid of the baby, so it makes me wonder if you'll be afraid of our baby."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished that she could go back in time or somehow manage to pull the words back into her mouth. She wanted to swallow them, cut out her tongue, something, anything, any way she could possibly take them back.

"Our baby?" Jess asked, his voice immediately rising up an octave and cracking nervously.

"What?" Rory asked, pretending to play dumb in hopes that Jess would think he hallucinated or something.

"What baby? We have a baby? When did we get a baby?"

"No, we don't have a baby. I promise that we don't have a baby. Not yet anyway."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about our imaginary baby that we might have at some point in time many years from now. I'm talking about future baby here."

"You want a baby?" Jess asked quietly.

"What?"

"Do you want to have a baby, Rory?"

"No. Maybe. I think so. Yes. Well, not right now, anyway. I don't know."

"I've never heard you more incoherent. This has really gotten to you, hasn't it?"

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Jess. I am so sorry!"

They were quiet on the rest of the drive back to Stars Hollow. Jess parked and ran into the pizza place to pick up the pizza, leaving Rory alone to dissect everything she had blubbered on about in the previous few minutes.

"God, what the hell is wrong with me?" she thought to herself. "I want to have a baby? Where did that come from?"

"You want to have a baby?" Jess asked. He set the pizza box down on Rory's lap and slamming the car door shut. "When did you decide you wanted a baby? Where the hell did that idea come from?"

"I don't know! Jess, I have no idea, I swear. I was talking and it just sort of came out."

"Rory, ideas do not come out of your mouth, they start in your head first. Where did that thought come from?"

"I don't know! Maybe it's the drugs. Maybe it's the hormones."

"Hormones? What hormones?"

"My mom's got hormones. She got her potent heat-seeking baby-induced high-test hormones all over me. I think they're contagious."

"Hormones are contagious?"

"Ours, Mom's and mine, are," Rory said. "Our periods have been in sync for years!"

"Oh, God, Rory. Eew!"

"Sorry. Too much information?"

"Anything involving bodily functions of your mother is always way too much information!"

"Sorry."

"I love you," Jess said after a silence long enough for them to drive to the house.

"I love you, too," Rory said, balancing the pizza box on her good and bad hands as she got out of the car. "Come on. Let's go inside and eat. We can talk about this later."

"And we will talk about it," Jess said. "On a full stomach and after a good night's sleep we can talk all about anything."

"Are we okay?" Rory asked with tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

"Rory, come here," Jess said. He tossed the pizza box on the hood of the car and wrapped Rory up in his arms and pulled her close to him, so close that he could feel the beat of her heart in time with his own. "Don't cry, love. We're more than okay. We're perfect."


	25. A Mother Knows

**Chapter 25 A Mother Knows**

When Rory woke up the next morning, she expected, as normal, to find Jess fast asleep beside her. Every morning, she woke up before him and would find him in various sleep positions. Most were normal, like on his back, on his stomach, but sometimes they were a bit odd, like the time she found him sleeping with his feet on the pillow and his head at the end of the bed. Once, she found him with his clothes half on and half off: one leg of his jeans on, one sock. Another time, he was sleeping with the pillow over his face with one foot on the floor.

That morning, she found him in the most frightening sleep position ever: not asleep. When she woke up, Jess wasn't in bed. For a moment, Rory thought he might have been in the bathroom, but when she checked, the bathroom was empty.

"Jess?" she called through the quiet and empty house. A moment later, Paul Anka appeared at her side. "No, boy, not you. Do you know where Jess is?" The dog barked in response. "I really wish I spoke dog."

Rory crept upstairs, just in case he was asleep up there somewhere, but she ended up creeping around an empty house. She looked everywhere and there was no Jess. She looked outside and her car was parked in the driveway, but she noticed that Luke's truck was gone.

"He probably drove the truck to the hospital for Luke," Rory said, still talking to Paul Anka. "We drove Luke to the hospital yesterday, so they're stuck there." But then, she started thinking more about it, she started having doubts that Jess had taken Luke's truck to him.

When Luke found out that Lorelai was pregnant, he dragged her car shopping. Since the Jeep didn't have a door to the back seat, it would make getting the baby in and out of the car seat difficult. It took them the first trimester, but Luke managed to find a sedan that she would drive: a Mercury Milan. There was already a baby seat strapped into the back of the car, so it would have made much more sense for Jess to drive the car.

Rory picked up the phone and called Luke's cell phone to see if Jess was with him. As soon as he answered, she was sorry that she called.

"Good morning, Rory," Luke yawned. "What's up?"

"Luke, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"Not really. I've been sleeping on and off all night. What time is it?"

"Quarter to eight. That's why I'm calling."

"You're calling because it's 7:45?"

"No, I'm calling because it's 7:45 and I don't know where Jess is."

"Is that like when the newscasters ask where your children are at the beginning of the eleven o'clock news?"

"Sort of. Is he there?"

"Are you kidding? It's 7:45. He's probably sleeping. Have you checked under the bed?"

"Under the bed?"

"Maybe he fell out of bed and rolled under it?"

"What?"

"Your mom's idea."

"Ah. So, you haven't talked to him? You didn't ask him to drive you his truck or send him anyplace?"

"No. Why? Where's my truck?"

"Wherever Jess is. Luke, you need to keep up. Come on, I know that you speak near-fluent Gilmore!"

"You don't know where either Jess or my truck is right now?"

"That would be correct. Luke, I am so sorry. I promise, as soon as I find him, and your truck, I will call you."

"Call me about Jess. And Rory, forget about the truck. If I hear from him, I'll call you. Kid, he's fine. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Rory said, but she didn't believe a word of it. "How's mom?"

"She's right here. She just finished feeding Matthew. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Maybe later. I need to find Jess. Kiss her like I would and give Matty a kiss, too. Thanks Luke, I'll talk to you later," Rory said, quickly hanging up before Luke could argue or put her mom on the phone.

Rory paced around the living room in her pajamas trying to figure out where Jess would go and what would possess him to drive Luke's truck anywhere. She needed to think, and in order to think, she needed sustenance. She made a pot of coffee and threw a Pop-Tart into the toaster. She decided to wander through the house to help motivate her thinking.

It seemed so strange being in the house she grew up in and yet being in a completely different place at the same time. She had lived there for years and it was her home, but since she left home and her mom moved in with Luke, a lot changed. Now, there was a nursery where the upstairs alcove used to be. Luke painted the room pale yellow and he made a crib. Lorelai turned an old dresser into a changing table and made a crib quilt and curtains from hers and Luke's old t-shirts and sweatshirts.

Rory opened the top drawer of the dresser, which was filled with tiny diapers, packages of wipes, and containers of baby powder, baby lotion, diaper rash ointment, and lots of other baby stuff. The lower drawers had a few sleepers and blankets that had been gifts from the baby shower Sookie, Babette, and Miss Patty threw for Lorelai. Before she realized what she was doing, she was sniffing the baby lotion and her mind was wandering. She started thinking about the fact that when her mother was her age that she was the mother of an eight year old.

Rory felt like she was lagging behind some sort of schedule, like she missed out on some life event by waiting too long to join in. In a way, it made her feel like she had at her first junior high dance when she and Lane sat in chairs along the side of the gymnasium for the first two and a half hours before they got up and danced, having a great time and missing out on spending more time having fun and less time being shy. Now, something was making her feel like she needed to make up for lost time. She felt like she and Jess should be moving forward and should be at a different stage in their lives now, so it was like they were both lagging behind. She loved him. She wanted to take their relationship to a new level. They were serious and committed and they were living together, but she wanted something more. Something tangible. Something that would last forever.

Suddenly, she knew what happened to Jess. He was spooked. Big time, seriously spooked. The day before, the whole thing with the baby, it totally freaked him out. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought that anything she said or implied had spooked him enough to make him run away. She thought about every other time Jess left her life without saying goodbye. He had told her that this time would be different, but she did too much to freak him out and drive him away.

It was her fault. She said too much. Her own minor freak out had facilitated Jess' major freak out and was the reason that he was MIA. She tried to rationalize, knowing that she did not necessarily have the ability to make Jess disappear without a word. She thought that maybe he had another reason for leaving in the wee hours of the morning without a note or an explanation of where he was going or why. She wracked her brain trying to think of something that could have prompted such a sudden disappearing act. If it wasn't Luke, she couldn't imagine anything or anyone else making him drop and run.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! What is the matter with me? What you have with Jess is perfect just the way it is, so why did you have to go muck it all up?" She walked into her mother and Luke's bedroom and flopped herself down on the bed. "This must be what a ticking biological clock feels like."

She suddenly popped up, her head clear with a brilliant, albeit obvious, idea. She picked up the phone and dialed Jess' cell phone number.

"Hello?" a distracted voice answered just before the voice mail picked up.

"Jess? It's Rory."

"Hey, hon."

"Hey, hon? Hey, hon! What do you mean, hey hon?"

"I mean, hello, Rory, honey, love of my life, and how are you doing this lovely autumn morning?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm on the road," Jess replied cryptically. "I know that is not the best answer or the one you were hoping for, but it's all I can give you without ruining it."

"Ruining what?"

"It. I am not going to say anything else about it but it because it is a surprise. I will be back before dinner. You need to promise me that you won't eat until I come home."

"You have a surprise for me?" Rory asked, crying.

"Yeah. Sweetie, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I woke up and you were gone. You and Luke's truck gone, disappeared, and God-knows where. My imagination started to get the best of me and, well, I freaked."

"Didn't you get my note?"

"Note? What note?"

"Where's your cell phone?"

"My what?"

"Your cell phone. You know, that small mobile communication device that you never go anywhere without."

"Huh?"

"Rory!" Jess exclaimed, exasperated. "I left you a note and I stuck it inside your cell phone."

"What?" Rory asked, forcing the pieces to put themselves together in her brain. "Hang on, let me go find it."

Rory ran down the stairs and left the phone sitting on her mom's bed. She skidded in her socks around the corner into the kitchen and slid to a stop in her bedroom, where she found her cell phone with a folded piece of paper stuck inside it. Rory grabbed the note and sprinted back up the stairs.

"I am sorry," Rory said when she got back to the phone. "I just found the note, Jess. I didn't see it. I am so sorry."

"You thought I bolted," Jess said with a knowing smile.

"No," Rory said quickly as she read the note, which was scrawled with a black Sharpie marker in Jess' slanted handwriting. _Rory, I had to run a few errands this morning, so I borrowed Luke's truck. I hope you had a good night's sleep. I will call you later and I'll see you for dinner. I love you, Jess._ Jess had drawn a heart next to his name. "Yes," Rory admitted begrudgingly. "I thought I freaked you out and took off."

"Rory, I told you that I wasn't freaked out."

"Well, I didn't completely believe you. I thought that maybe it was a delayed reaction freak out."

"I think you were the one who freaked out."

"That's completely beside the point."

"You thought I freaked out about the baby thing."

"I did," Rory confessed. "I thought you freaked because it sort of freaked me out, too."

"I promise you, Rory, I did not freak out and we will talk about your freak out when I get home."

"You promise?"

"I totally promise. I love you, babe," Jess said, smiling to himself. "It will take a lot more than one baby freak out to change that. I promise you, I did not freak and I don't feel a freak out coming anytime in the near future."

"I love you, too. I'm sorry I freaked out."

"I know you are. I'll see you later."

"Bye," Rory said.

"Bye, Rory." Jess clicked his phone off and smiled, shaking his head. Her talk about babies did freak him out a little, but not the way he thought.

When she first said the words our baby, he did freak, but it was because he thought that she telling him that she was pregnant. They had always been so careful with the condoms and the pill; he was upset when he thought he'd gotten her pregnant. Eventually, he wanted to get her pregnant, but the pregnancy was not supposed to be the first step in his master plan. First, he wanted to propose, then he wanted to marry her, buy her a house and then he wanted to make a baby with her. He had only hesitated on starting the process because he didn't think Rory was ready. Now, with the baby freak out, he had the feeling that Rory was ready.

In the middle of the night, Jess decided that it was time to start putting his plan into motion. He woke up very early so that he could slip out while Rory was still asleep. He left her the note and snuck out of the house. He borrowed Luke's truck and drove to New York so that he could buy the perfect engagement ring for Rory. He had seen it in an antique store in Greenwich Village months earlier and he was hoping that it was still there.

When Rory called, he was just crossing the George Washington Bridge and he hoped that Rory wouldn't be able to hear the traffic. Now, he was in full-on road rage mode and driving Luke's ancient truck did not give him much street credit. He fought for a parking space that was about ten blocks from the antique store and he practically ran down the sidewalk to the store.

"Can I help you?" the store clerk asked when Jess burst into the store.

"Yes, at least I hope so," Jess began. "I was here a few weeks ago and I looked at an engagement ring. I'd like to look at it again."

"Well, we have quite a few engagements rings. What are you looking for?"

"It was silver with a big diamond in the middle with smaller diamonds and etchings around the band."

"I think I might know what ring you're referring to," the clerk said as she crossed the room to a display case. "It's from the 1930s. It's made of 18-carat white gold, not silver, with a quarter carat round cut diamond and seven small inset diamonds around the band. We also have a matching wedding band and coordinating men's wedding band as well. Here it is," she said, unlocking the display case and holding the ring out to Jess.

"That's it," Jess said smiling. "It's perfect. Wait," he said, reaching into his pocket and fishing around for something. "Here's a ring of hers. Will this ring fit her?"

"You're right," she said with a polite smile. "It is perfect. They both are. The rings will be a perfect fit."

"How much are they?"

"The engagement ring is $950 and the wedding band is $495, but if you buy the set, it's $1250."

"Looks like I'll be getting the set," Jess said with a smile. He pulled out his wallet and handed her a credit card.

"Congratulations," the clerk said as she cashed Jess out. "She's a very lucky bride. It's a beautiful ring. It has always been one of my favorites."

"Thanks," he replied. "But I am the lucky one."

On his drive back to Stars Hollow, Jess gathered up the courage to make a phone call he had been procrastinating about for months. He decided that since he had the ring in his pocket and had a vague idea what he was going to say when he proposed to Rory, he wanted to be proper and traditional for at least once in his life. He was going to ask for the blessing of her parents – all three of them.

He decided to tackle the lesser of three evils first, so he called Rory's father, Christopher. Their conversation was brief and to the point. Christopher was honored that Jess asked and he willingly gave his blessing, but he knew that his opinion didn't really matter. He wanted his daughter to be happy, and if Jess Mariano was the man to do that, then he had no reason to object.

He took a deep breath before dialing Lorelai's cell phone. He knew that once she answered there was no turning back.

"Good morning, Jess. Hey, did Rory get a hold of you? She thought you pulled a Houdini on her."

"Yeah, we talked. Is Luke around? I need to talk to both of you."

"He's taking Matt for a walk around the nurse's station. What's up?"

"I just want to talk to you about something."

"Is everything okay? Is Rory okay?"

"Everything's fine, Rory's fine. It's just important."

"Okay, well the suspense is killing me! Here, let me get this thing on speaker. Luke! Luke, come back! Hurry!"

"Lorelai, what's wrong? What is it?" Luke asked as he rushed in with Matt wrapped in a blue blanket. Because he was on speakerphone, Jess could hear everything, including Matthew's cute little baby gurgles.

"It's Jess. He wants to talk to us," Lorelai said, smiling what she hoped was a knowing smile. She took her son from Luke. "It sounds serious."

"It's important, not serious," Jess said quickly. "Serious makes it sound bad, and it's not bad. I think it's good, actually. It's a very, very good thing. At least I hope it is!"

"Well, then, don't keep us in suspense. What's going on? Where are you?"

"On the highway headed back to Stars Hollow."

"Headed back from where?" Luke asked. "Hey, do you have my truck? Did anything happen? Are you okay?"

"Luke, calm down. Everything's fine. I was in New York," Jess admitted. "Luke, I had to borrow your truck because I couldn't find Rory's keys this morning. I'm sorry I didn't ask first, but I didn't think you'd mind."

"Man, will you forget about the truck," Lorelai interrupted. "Jess, why did you go to New York? Rory was so freaked out earlier. What's going on?"

"I picked up an engagement ring. I want to ask Rory to marry me, but I want to be sure I have your blessings first. I know there have been some ups and downs in our relationship, mine and Rory's and mine with the two of you. I know that I've let you down in the past, but I promise you that I've changed. I have worked hard to prove to Rory that I'm in this thing for the long haul and I will work forever to make sure that she, and you, knows how much I love her. I love your daughter, Lorelai, and I want her to be my wife."

"I am so honored that you are asking for my blessing, but you don't need to, Jess," Lorelai said. "You have earned it. I don't want to go back in time, but you have definitely grown into a wonderful man who obviously loves my daughter and will do everything that it takes to make her happy and provide her with a wonderful life. I can't imagine her being with anyone else and I have never known her this happy."

"It sure took you long enough," Luke said, smirking at Lorelai, who winked back in silent response.

"Look who's talking," Jess retorted.

"So, when are you going to ask her?" Lorelai asked, ignoring Jess and Luke. "How long do I have to keep this to myself? It'll drive me crazy keeping a secret like this!"

"Just until tonight and I am sure Rory will call you. Thank you," he said quickly. "Thank you both so much. God, I hope she says yes," Jess mumbled, hanging up the phone.

Luke clicked the cell phone off speakerphone and ended the call. "Remember what happened the last time a guy proposed to Rory? What will happen if she doesn't say yes? Jess will be devastated. We'll all be devastated."

"Stop worrying. You cannot even attempt to compare Logan to Jess asking Rory to marry him. Rory never really loved Logan. There is no comparison. Jess is the one. I fought it for years, but he's always been the one for Rory. The timing for them is right now. It just took them both a little while to grow up and to realize what was right in front of them. I know you see it, too. It's just like it was with you and me. Trust me, Luke. A mother knows."


	26. Popping the Big One

Chapter 26 Popping the Big One

**Chapter 26 Popping the Big One**

"Jess, what is going on?" Rory asked when she finally got him on his cell phone again later that afternoon. "Where are you, anyway?"

"I'm still running around," Jess said cryptically. "I've got a few more things to pick up. I will be back soon, probably at seven. Can you hold out for dinner until then?"

"Yeah. I had a Pop-Tart a little while ago to tide me over. Come on, Jess, where are you?"

"I told you, I'm running around. Errands and such."

"Errands and such? What's going on? What's up with the formality and the secrecy?"

"Nothing. It's just some running around. I'll tell you about it when I get home, at seven."

"You've mentioned that. What's going on with you, Jess? You're being awfully vague. Something's up and I want to know what it is. Come on, Jess, spill it!"

"Nothing's going on," Jess replied quickly. "Nothing's up, I promise. I just have some things going on. I'll see you at seven." He quickly hung up the phone before he said too much.

When Rory called, Jess was busy searching the majority of western Connecticut for white Christmas lights, not an easy task for late September, and he had just hit the jackpot. He already bought fifty candles and dozens of fresh sunflowers. Since he finally found the lights, the biggest challenge now was to unhook the generator from the diner and tow it behind Luke's truck and use it to power the lights and stereo.

His plan was fairly simple, but there were still a few flaws. He was going to propose on their bridge, but he was going to turn their bridge into an even more romantic place for them than it already was. He was going to line a path across the bridge with candles, lights, and sunflowers. He was going to have to pop the question right away because the ring was burning a hole in his pocket. He knew that he wouldn't be able to make it through dinner. There was only one minor snag in his master plan. Jess had no idea how he was going to propose. He didn't know what to say when he proposed. He wanted his words to be heartfelt, romantic, and memorable, but he also wanted to make it through his proposal without getting teary-eyed. He jotted down some notes and ideas, but he trashed most of them. The only constants were his opening and closing lines: Rory, I love you and will you marry me. The words were simple, honest, and to the point. Plus, he figured that if worst came to worst he would just say that.

After hours of running around, everything was perfect. He put the finishing touches on and silently prayed that everything would stay as he left it until they got back. Jess begged and bribed Zack to stand guard for a little while, and he agreed, but Jess didn't entirely trust him. Luke would have been Jess' first choice, but since he was busy being a daddy, Zack would have to do. Jess did know that Lane would kill her husband if he let Jess down under the circumstances.

Jess stopped off at Luke's apartment for ten minutes to shower, shave, and change his clothes from the grubby jeans he wore to get the scene set for the proposal into a pressed pair of khaki pants and a green button-up shirt and a matching tie. Jess arrived at the house promptly at seven to pick up Rory, who sat waiting rather impatiently in the living room.

She looked beautiful. She wore a black and white floral sundress with a light black knit cardigan sweater over it. On her feet were a pair of black ballet slipper-style shoes and she wore the necklace Luke had given her for her 21st birthday around her neck.

"Where have you been?" Rory asked as she pounced on him as he came into the room.

"Hey, Rory," Jess said, kissing her hello. "God, babe, you're especially beautiful tonight!"

"Thanks, but don't change the subject. Jess, what's going on? Please tell me, where were you today?"

"I told you I'd be back at seven and look, surprise, it's seven right on the button. Hey, babe, I'm even on time!"

"True, but you still haven't explained where you have been all day. Come on, Jess, what's up with you?"

"I just wanted us to have a special night, just the two of us. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No, nothing's wrong with that. I just have had the feeling that you've been up to something all day. What's going on?"

"Nothing! Well, a little something, but it's no big deal. Really. It's just a surprise for dinner. Are you ready?"

"Sure. Yeah," Rory said, standing up. "Where are we going?"

"It's part of the surprise. Come on, Rory. Let's go," Jess said, taking Rory's hand and leading her out to the car. When they got settled in the car, Jess sprung the first surprise of the night on Rory, holding out a tie.

"What's this?" Rory asked. "A tie? What am I going to do with a tie?"

"It's not a tie. Well, technically, it is a tie, but it's a blindfold for tonight."

"A blindfold? Why do I need a blindfold?"

"Please, Rory. Just play along. Come on, sweetheart," Jess said. "It's part of the surprise. Please? For me?"

"Okay," Rory said. "But just this once, okay? And let me just say, it's a good thing I trust you!"

"Can you see anything?" Jess asked after he tied it tightly around Rory's head, making sure that it covered her eyes.

"Nope. I'm blinded by the fold. Now, where are we going? Come on, Jess, I feel silly."

"It's that surprise I was talking about," Jess said. "I promise you'll find out soon."

"You're being pretty free and easy with that promise word today," Rory retorted, adjusting the knot tied behind her head. "You promised me you weren't up to anything."

"You make it sound sinister. Nothing sinister is in the works. I just had to fib a little so that I wouldn't ruin your surprise." Jess started the car and drove around Stars Hollow for about twenty minutes before he turned down the dirt lane leading to the bridge and parking the car.

"We're here," Jess said. Rory could hear the smile in his voice. Jess hopped out of the car to help Rory get out. Taking her hand, he led her down the lane to the edge of the bridge before taking the blindfold off her eyes.

"We're here," Rory said in a barely audible whisper, taking in her surroundings. "Oh, my God. What's going on? This is amazing, Jess, absolutely amazing. It's beautiful. This is the most amazing, beautiful thing I have ever seen. I cannot even come up with original words to describe this!"

Rory knew she was at the bridge, but she hardly recognized it. Strands of lights twinkled in the darkness and sparkled dramatically, lighting up the bridge and the surrounding trees. Jars overflowed with sunflowers and candles flickered, the flames dancing in the moonlight, lining a pathway leading to a beautifully dressed table set in the center of the bridge. The table was covered with more candles and sunflowers. A bottle of champagne was chilling and the table was set with dishes Rory recognized from Luke's. A cart held a covered chafing dish containing what Rory assumed was their dinner.

"Come on," Jess said, taking Rory's hand.

"Jess, what is all this? Did I miss an anniversary or something?"

"No, not at all," Jess replied. "Rory, sweetie, please, let's sit down. I have something very important to talk to you about."

"Jess, what's going on?" Rory asked in a shocked whisper with the hint of tears in her eyes.

"Everything is perfect, Rory."

Jess led Rory down the bridge to the table and, once she was seated, Jess dropped down onto one knee in front of her. He took her hands in his, kissing them gently. His eyes glistened and he smiled before taking a deep breath.

"Oh my God," Rory said in a breathless whisper.

"Rory, I love you," Jess began with a smile.

"And I love you, too," Rory replied with happy tears in her eyes.

"From the moment I saw you, all those years ago, I knew that I loved you. I was just a kid then, but I knew that you made me feel warm and happy and I knew that must be love. But, that kid had no idea that I would continue to love you or that it was possible for that love to grow and mature into the love I feel for you right now. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I know that I can't change what happened in our past, what I did or how I hurt you, but I can promise you that history will never repeat itself. I grew up a lot and I've changed, Rory. We've both changed, for the better, but I have never, ever, stopped loving you. During our time apart, I dreamed that we would one day find our way back to each other. Well, Walt Disney was right, babe. Dreams and fairy tales really do come true. There really is a happily ever after. I'm living proof."

"Oh, my God," Rory said as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "Oh, my God, this is really happening!"

"I am so happy. I am the happiest I have ever been and I know we are meant to be together. We're soul mates. We're meant to be together forever. Rory, you are the love of my life and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Hell, my life didn't even begin until I met you, and I don't think I can continue without you. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, will you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you spend the rest of your life with me? Will you marry me?"

"Are you sure?" Rory asked softly.

"I've never been surer of anything in my life."

"Because if you're just asking me because of my freak out," Rory babbled, but Jess cut her off.

"Rory, I am asking you to marry me because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Your so-called freak out helped me to realize that you were ready for me to ask you."

"Will you ask me again?" Rory asked, smiling warmly.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes," Rory replied breathlessly. "Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! I love you so, so much and I will. I can't wait to marry you!"

"Yes!" Jess crowed, jumping to his feet and grabbing Rory on his way up, scooping her into a big, tight hug. He spun them both around until they were both very dizzy, but he managed to stop just before he made them both fall into the lake. Jess sighed deeply and kissed Rory deeply and hugged her tight and held her close to him, smoothing her hair with his hand.

"Wait," Jess said quickly, taking the box from his pocket. "Sit," he said and Rory obliged. Jess got back down on one knee and opened the box. He pulled out the ring and slipped it onto Rory's left ring finger, where it fit perfectly.

"It's beautiful," Rory said, staring at the sparkling diamond ring on her finger. "I love it, Jess, and I love you."

"I love you, Rory," Jess replied, kissing her again, breathing her in. "I love you so much! Come on," he said, kissing her again. "Let's eat so we can call your mom and Luke and then we can go back to the house and really celebrate."

"They know?"

"You think I could ever keep a secret this big from Lorelai? Rory, have you met your mother?"

"True," Rory said. "Well, tell me. What did they say?" she asked. "How long have they known?"

"I wanted to be sure to cover all the bases, so I spoke with your dad, your mom, and Luke this morning and they were thrilled. I think if Matthew could talk, it would have been unanimous. And, I'm pretty sure Lane knows, too."

"What? How?"

"I bribed Zack to watch all this stuff while I showered," Jess explained. "And I doubt he would have kept that from Lane."

"So, was I the last person to find out we're getting married? What else have you done? Have you set the date yet? Can I pick out my own dress? How about the shoes? Do I get a say on the guest list?"

"Rory, come on," Jess said with a smirk. "There's no way I would tell your grandparents without you, a suit of armor, and a pack of angry pit bulls as a buffer!"

"Very funny."

"The only plans I made were for the proposal, Rory. The wedding will be planned by both of us, I swear. And in actuality, probably more by you and Lorelai than by me. We'll do whatever you want, big and elaborate or a chapel in Vegas, but when it comes to the date, I vote for the sooner the better."

"We're getting married," Rory whispered, kissing Jess deeply. "I'm going to be Mrs. Jess Mariano. Oh, my God!" she shouted. "Jess, we're getting married!"

"Yeah, babe," Jess said, smiling and returning her long, deep kiss and following it up with a slightly inappropriate butt grab. "We're getting married. Now, come on," he said. "We need to eat because I am not going to be able to keep my hands off you for much longer!"

"Well, what's for dinner?"

"Nothing fancy," Jess said, nibbling her neck. "Just spaghetti and meatballs."

"Oh, that'll keep for later," Rory said as she enjoyed the chills Jess' kisses caused to run down her body. "You know, I actually think spaghetti tastes better reheated. It gives the sauce a chance to really saturate the noodles. So, why don't we just go home and we can keep ourselves very busy?" Rory asked, her tone of voice a wonderful mix of sweet and seductive. "I want to show you just how happy I am right now, how happy you made me, and how excited I am to marry you."

Jess and Rory embraced tightly and continued to kiss and caress for a few lingering moments before Jess reluctantly pulled himself away.

"What about your mom?" Jess asked. "I promised her that we'd call."

"We can call later or we'll wait until they get home tomorrow and we'll tell them in person. I want to just be with you right now. Keep it our own special secret, just for tonight. Just about us. Is that okay?"

"More perfect than you know."


End file.
